Monsters And Gods
by RowanJade
Summary: This is set in the Dark Hunter world. It's my take on Acheron's history and his one true love. Oh, and there's smut! Well? Go read it already! Oh, and feedback is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

This is something that was rattling around in my head getting bigger and bigger as it went along until I finally relented and wrote it all down. And no, I still don't think it's done. At the moment there are over 88 thousand words in this and a lot of carpal tunnel to boot. But I reached a logical stopping point and after reading it, re-reading it, and so on, I think it's ready to see the light of day.

So I always wanted to know some more of Ash's history and who his true love is. Of course I'm not satisfied to wait until next year (?) before we find out so I drew my own conclusions.

**Title:** Monsters And Gods

**Rating:** M because there's some cussing and some smut in it (hey Ash is sex on legs, there's gotta be smut right?)

**Genre**: A little of everything. Mainly, humor, romance, drama, supernatural and ...yeah everything.

**Spoilers**: Nope not really

**Characters:** A bunch of the folk from the Dark Hunter universe and a few OCs thrown in for good measure.

**General Disclaimer**: I do not own the Dark Hunters, Acheron Parthenopaeus (who really _can_ own a god?), or any of the characters and places in this story. I'm just playing with them for a bit, I'll give them back when I'm done. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and while I will never in this lifetime be as good fo a writer as Sherrilyn Kenyon is, I'd certainly like to be. I mean no harm from this work Ms. Kenyon and if I offend I shall remove this.

**General Note:** There's really not a time line for this. Okay there is but it won't make sense if I explain it. Pretend the events in Dark Side of the Moon didn't _all_ happen (you'll know which ones I'm talking about if you've read it) and just go with it.

"You're kidding me right?"

The man behind the big sprawling desk glanced up from the folder he had in his hands and looked over the top of his glasses at the tall woman on the other side of the cluttered work surface. "Do I look like I am kidding?"

She was simply stunned. Jim Gresham had been threatening to send her off on her own for months but she didn't think he really meant it. She started to blurt out what she thought about this development but stopped as she noticed the beginning of the glare that was coming over the top of his glasses at her. He'd been talking to her off and on about how she had to think before she spoke. She couldn't help it though, she'd come from a family of people that spoke their mind and didn't care what anyone else thought of it. She'd made the mistake of blurting out how she felt about the director of the program's boss once and almost gotten herself booted out for it and ever since then Jim had been giving her the "death glare" when she was in danger of stepping over the line. He certainly didn't want to lose someone as talented as she was so he was trying to teach her to think things through first.

Clamping her jaw shut again she rolled her eyes as she eased herself down into the green leather chair behind her. She thought about what he'd just said to her as he went back to reading the folder he held. When he finished he closed it and flipped it across the desk at her. "So?"

She picked up the folder and flipped through the first few pages in it. "I guess I don't have much choice in this do I?"

"Alicia, when are you going to figure out that you always have a choice?" He pulled his glasses off and tossed them on top of the other papers on the desk. "You of all people should know that I wouldn't have told Steven that you'd come down if I didn't think that you were the person for the job. You and I both know that no one else knows the cats like you do. There is no better person for this." He smiled at her gently to reassure her. They'd worked together for several years now and he'd become not only her mentor but a good friend too.

"But it's hot down there!"

He chuckled at her whine, "Alicia, you know they do have air conditioning these days right?"

She huffed and blew a stray wisp of hair out of her eyes, "Jim, you know that I live up north for a reason don't you? I hate the heat." She shuddered in revulsion of the idea of being in the humid heat of New Orleans in the summer. "Can't it wait until winter?"

"You are a pain in my ass you know that? Your plane leaves at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Go home and pack." Alicia tried to look pathetic and failed miserably eliciting a guffaw from Jim as he pointed at the door of his office. "Get out of here you twit."

She rose from the chair and picked her bag up from the floor, shoving the folder into the top of it. "I'll get you for this you know. You're gonna pay for this one old man." She glanced back over her shoulder to see him sitting back down behind the ever-expanding pile of work and laughing at her as she shuffled out of the door. He knew that she wasn't at all mad at him for the assignment but it was a game they played with each other, much to many of the other student's chagrin, and it was one of the things they loved about working together. Jim knew that Alicia would do anything he asked of her. Hell most of the time she was doing what he wanted before he even knew he wanted her to do it. But they still played their game, he pretended to be mad at her and she pretended to hate his orders and they both got a laugh out of the looks they got for it.

Alicia really was excited about this assignment, even if it did mean going to New Orleans in the summertime. She specialized in the big cats and getting to work with them on her own was the sign that Jim thought she was ready that she'd been waiting for. He finally thought that he could send her out on her own and the approval that gave her made her glow with pride.

When she entered into the veterinary program at first she thought she just wanted to be a basic vet but when she got the chance to sit in on a surgery at the local zoo and help out caring for the recovering panther she knew that exotic animals were her one true love. Since then she'd spent a great deal of time at the zoo, getting to know the habits of the big cats that she'd fallen in love with. When the director of the zoo invited her to help out with their care she jumped at the chance and she soon found that she had an affinity for the big felines that no one could match. She simply felt comfortable around them and the affection that they showed her in return turned more than a few heads. More than once she'd made the staff and visitors to the zoo panic when she blatantly walked into one of the habitats and sat down to let the enormous cats rub against her and play with her like she was one of their own. When people asked her how she did that without getting an arm chewed off she simply explained that she respected them so they in turn respected her.

Reaching the end of the hallway behind the classrooms she turned right and reached for her sunglasses before leaving the building and walking across the campus to her small apartment. She jogged up the stairs and knocked on her neighbor's door softly. When the tiny Italian woman cracked the door and peered out at her she grinned down towards the steely eye in the opening. "Ciao ava!"

"Ciao bella!" came the response as the woman opened the door and motioned for Alicia to enter. "What brings you home so early?"

"Going out of town for a few days and I was wondering if you could watch the place for me?" she said as she pecked the woman on the cheek and followed her nose towards the kitchen where several sauces were bubbling on the stove.

"Of course I will. Where are you going?"

Alicia reached for the spoon beside the biggest pot and stirred the sauce as she let the delicious scent waft up on the steam. "Jim's sending me to New Orleans. Something's wrong with their tigers and he seems to think that I can figure it out."

"He's learning." The older woman said as she reached into a cupboard and pulled out two plates. "He knows now that if anyone can make them better it is you."

"Oh I wouldn't say that Sophia. Jim could probably do a better job than I can. Here, let me get that," she said as she took the plates out of the woman's hands and began putting pasta on them. When she'd finished making them plates she carried them to the small table in the corner where Sophia was waiting with two glasses of Chianti. They ate and chatted and sipped at the Chianti that Sophia kept refilling along with the plates of pasta. Alicia didn't eat this much usually but she knew that the woman took great pride in her cooking and she constantly told the younger woman that she was too skinny so Alicia humored her. Once they'd finished the meal and washed the dishes they settled into the deeply cushioned sofa and talked about news and gossip.

Alicia had moved into the tiny apartment across the hall from Sophia two years ago and the two women had become friends quickly. Alicia often went back home to visit her family and Sophia was always happy to help out by watching her apartment and getting her mail. "So when are you going back to Italy to visit?" Alicia asked for the millionth time.

The older woman sighed and smoothed invisible wrinkles out of her skirt. "Someday maybe. Not so soon. I will go when it is time. Now it is not the time. Why do you pester me?"

Alicia laughed, "I'm not pestering you ava. I just want you to be happy. I know that going home will make you happy." Alicia patted the other woman on the knee to reassure her. "Well I have to go pack. I'll bring you something nice from New Orleans okay?"

"Will you bring me a handsome man?"

"Of course! But only if he can fit in my suitcase." The two women laughed at that as Sophia help the door open for Alicia. "You take care of yourself ava. No wild parties you hear?"

"I promise. You be good too child." Sophia patted Alicia's back and gave her a tight hug.

"I'll do what I can with what I have to work with. Is that okay?" Sophia nodded and her eyes twinkled. "Fino ad allora ava."


	2. Chapter 2

"Can I help you?" The brassy haired secretary asked with a sneer. Apparently she wasn't too thrilled about having to put whoever she was talking on the phone with on hold and respond to the impatient tapping of Alicia's foot.

"I don't know, can you?" Alicia spat back; she wasn't too thrilled about being made to wait for five minutes while the other woman gossiped. She was sweating and hot and the cab from the airport had gotten stuck in traffic and she was none to happy at the moment. "I'm here to see Mr. La Pierre."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No. I wasn't sure what time I was getting in so I didn't…"

"Well he's not here so you can wait until he gets back or you can leave. It's your choice." The woman pointed at the uncomfortable looking couch on the other side of the room and returned to her phone call.

Alicia rolled her eyes at the woman and sat heavily on the couch. At least this room was air conditioned so she didn't mind waiting here too much. Besides, it was still early in the day and there was no rush to get to a hotel. She dropped her duffel bag on the ground by the couch and reached over to dig through a stack of magazines that looked to be from the stone ages to pass the time until the zoo's director returned. She knew it shouldn't be too long because most zoo directors didn't like to be too far form the safety of their offices unless they were putting on a good show for someone important.

Ten minutes later a frazzled looking man stormed into the office and headed for the door behind the secretary's desk when she pointed at the couch where Alicia sat. "Lynda, hold my calls for the rest of the day unless it's someone… I'm sorry who are you?" he said as he turned to face Alicia.

She stood up slowly, nearly regretting the fact that she'd dressed comfortably instead of professionally but five hours on a plane means you need comfort not stiff shoes and panty hose. "I'm Alicia Caine," she said holding out her hand to the man. He looked at her dumbfounded and glanced over his shoulder to the secretary who merely shrugged. "Jim Gresham sent me to look at your tigers?"

The director's eyes traveled up and down her tall frame, taking in her tattered jeans, black Doc Martins boots and black tank top. She realized what she must look like to the man but her work should more than overcome the opinion he was currently forming of her. "I hardly think that you're qualified miss. Perhaps you are mistaken."

That set Alicia's irate mood off and she couldn't help herself as she blurted out, "Look pal, I'm not happy to be here either. I spent five uncomfortable hours on a crowded plane that stunk to high heaven. Then the cab I got had a broken air conditioner so I stink now too and I'm hot and I'm sweaty and my feet hurt. If you don't want your cats to get better then I'll be on my way. But it's up to _you_ to call Jim back and tell him that you turned down the help he sent you. I, for one, am tired of getting my ass chewed by that man. And don't you _dare_ try to blame me when your cats die because it's on your head now buddy."

She'd been edging closer to the man as she ranted, her height advantage over him making him shrink even further down into himself as she waved an angry finger at his face. He swallowed loudly and blinked at her, "Perhaps you'd like to take a look at them?"

She leaned back to let him stand up to his full height again and nodded once. "Lead the way."


	3. Chapter 3

The director of the zoo led Alicia to a small parking garage next to the main building where he ushered her into a waiting golf cart with the zoo's logo on the side of it. She put her duffel bag in the back behind the seat and slid into the cart next to the man who was still looking her up and down. Maybe he thought she would pull a knife on him or something. Whatever his issues she just wanted to get to where they were going because it was blasted hot outside.

"I'm sorry about that, back there was, well it's been a hectic few weeks around here." He smiled over at her and held out his hand to shake hers. "I'm really sorry you got treated like that. And I didn't introduce myself, although you probably know who I am. Steven La Pierre at your service."

"Alicia Caine, and don't worry about it. I didn't really think to dress for the occasion."

"You're really a vet?" La Pierre asked softly.

"That's what the little piece of paper says. But I have to warn you, Jim's really good with his computer."

They both laughed at that and La Pierre sped the little cart across the zoo's campus to the cathouse. When he pulled the cart up to the side of the building and turned it off Alicia had already hopped out and was heading around the corner of the building to the public side. She passed the jaguars' corner of the habitat and continued on shooting a glance at the spotted cats lying in the warm sun. When she came up on the crowd in front of the tiger's habitat she heard several disappointed children complaining to their parents that the normally playful cats were not moving.

Alicia worked her way through the crowd, scanning the terrain of the habitat for any clues to the cats' lethargic nature that she could find. The folder that Jim had given her contained a zoo dossier on the two cubs. Rex and Zulu were brothers who had been born in a zoo and had been delighting visitors to Audubon Park for a few years now. The two cubs loved to play with each other and seemed to enjoy showing off for the crowds. Today however, nothing could rouse them from their stupor.

Alicia leaned over the railing that she had made her way to and looked the cats over. There didn't seem to be any physical problems with them but there was definitely something troubling them. La Pierre worked his way through the crown and leaned on the railing next to her. "See anything that can help?"

"Not really. How about if I meet the boys?"

La Pierre nodded and led her to the back entrance of the cathouse. Grateful to be back in air conditioning, even as minimal as this was felt simply wonderful to Alicia and she smiled at La Pierre's back as he showed her way down the hall to the medical room. Now she was darn glad she'd worn the tank top because anything else would now be drenched with sweat. The director nodded to the staff as he walked past them and he finally centered his attention on one man who was sitting at a desk filling out what looked like a requisition form.

"Peter, if I may?"

The man looked up and blinked at the director of the zoo who very rarely left the main building much less showed up unannounced in one of the animal houses. Behind him stood a rather disheveled woman who was looking around like she was taking stock of what she could steal and later sell on the black market.

"Steven? What are you doing down here?" The man said as he rose from his seat. He was wearing a zoo t-shirt tucked into baggy khaki shorts with hiking boots on. He was deeply tanned and looked like he could definitely do an honest day's labor. "Who's this?"

"Peter Thomas I'd like you to meet Doctor…?" He glanced over his shoulder at Alicia who nodded at the implied question. "Ah yes, Dr. Alicia Caine. She's come down here to help cure Rex & Zulu."

The other man's face brightened and he grinned at Alicia. "Welcome then! Glad to have you here. If you're half as good as Jim Gresham says then we should be able to fix them right up. What can I do to help out?"

"Well I could use some gloves. Can you bring them in one at a time so we don't agitate the other one?"

Peter nodded, "Of course. Do you want Rex first?"

Alicia blinked at the other man. "I don't know. Which one is the dominant?"

Peter looked over at La Pierre who obviously had no idea what the other two were talking about; he just wanted the tigers better so he stopped losing revenue. "Well, Zulu's the more aggressive of the two. We usually bring Rex in first because he's easier to get along with."

Alicia rolled her eyes at this remark. "You obviously don't know a lot about tigers then do you? Bring Zulu in please." She reached for the proffered pair of gloves and stuck them in the front pocket of her jeans. The she followed Peter to the far door of the room and watched as he opened the door to the outside habitat.

One of the two tigers strolled in listlessly, sniffing the air and scenting the stranger in the room. He pulled his lips back in a hiss and glanced around the room, adjusting his eyes to the light. When the door wasn't slammed shut on Zulu's face as it usually was when they were examining the cats he poked his head in a bit more and stuck a tentative paw into the shadowed room. Alicia strode over to the bars of the cage that faced the room and lowered herself to the floor beside the bars. Once she was seated cross-legged in front of the bars she unhesitatingly reached her hand through the bars towards the big tiger.

"Its okay baby, I'm here to help you. Come get a good sniff and figure out I don't mean you any harm okay?" Peter reached a tentative hand towards the woman but she waved him away from her with her free hand. "Come here sweet boy." She crooned and to the astonishment of the other men the tiger listened and padded his way across the cage and sniffed at her fingers. "Good boy Zulu. You and I are going to be friends real soon aren't we?"

The white tiger sniffed at her fingers and licked his lips as he memorized her scent and then he plopped himself down on the floor beside her and allowed her to pat his head. As she stroked his ear and the sensitive area below it she smiled over her shoulder at the other men. "See? Easy enough. Now if you'd be so kind as to let Rex in I'd appreciate it," she said as she rose from the floor and walked over to the cabinet that held their medical supplies. She plucked a stethoscope from the tray as Rex was let into the building. Once he plopped down next to his brother Alicia smiled down at the two cats and looked at Peter. "Want to unlock the door please?"


	4. Chapter 4

"What?"

"The door to the cage. Can you unlock it so I can go in and examine them?"

The other vet looked stunned, "But we haven't sedated them!"

Alicia smiled at him like a mother would smile at her child. "No need to. They trust me."

Peter gaped at her, "You're kidding right?"

"I most certainly am not. Now can I go in and get started on examining them or are we going to play games all day?"

Now it was La Pierre's turn to stammer out a response. "Dr. Caine, there is no way I'm going to let you into that cage with out those cats being sedated. They are dangerous creatures after all."

Alicia rolled her eyes, "They aren't any more dangerous than a human Mr. La Pierre and I'm doing okay standing here with you aren't I? This is what I do, so if you don't trust me and let me examine those cats then I may as well just go home now."

"How did you know about letting Zulu in first?" Peter asked, marveling at how calm both of the tigers were. He hadn't seen them this docile since they first came to the zoo.

"Simple. Males are usually loners. They hate other males competing with them. These two are brothers and have never been separated so they still act like cubs. Zulu is slightly larger and more dominate than Rex is so I knew that he had to be the first one in."

"I don't get it."

Alicia sighed and continued, "If you let the submissive male in first it makes the dominant look weak. That just pisses him off and that in turn sets the other one off too. If one is agitated they both will be. If you tend to the dominant first, his placid nature will placate the submissive."

Peter looked like he'd just had a cinder block dropped on his head. "So all this time they were being wild and uppity because we were insulting them?"

"Yup," Alicia grinned at the vet as she walked over to the heavily barred door. "Now can I take a look at them?"

Peter grinned at her and opened the door so she could walk into the cage. Neither of the tigers looked the least bit upset that a strange human was walking into their cage. They'd been raised around humans and spent their lives in captivity so human scent was nothing new to them. She slowly edged her way over to the side of the cage they were laying in, humming softly as she moved, never taking her eyes off of Zulu. Once she was halfway across the floor she knelt down and made a sound much like a cat purring which made both of the tigers perk their ears towards her. Rex curled his lips back and Zulu simply twitched his tail.

When neither of the cats moved towards her Alicia got down on her hands and knees and crawled over next to them. She settled herself next to Zulu and held out her hand, fingers splayed to allow him to scent her again. The tiger nudged her hand upwards directing it back to the spot under his ear that he liked to have scratched and she chuckled and ministered to the itchy spot. As she scratched at him she eased the stethoscope up to her ears and listened to the cat's heartbeat. Finding nothing out of the ordinary she moved the device up to his sides where she listened to his breathing. Again she found nothing extraordinary so she put the stethoscope behind her and began playing with the cats. Neither one of them made any aggressive move towards her, much to the amazement of the zoo staff that was watching the whole thing from the other side of the bars.

"Now you two need to tell me why you don't feel good. I can't fix you silly kittens if you don't let me know what's going on." Alicia talked to the tigers as if they were common housecats. Both of them outweighed her by at least 150 pounds but she acted as if she were their owner and had been around them her whole life. The total lack of fear was more astounding to the staff than the fact that neither of the cats was being aggressive. They were both very playful when they were at their full health so seeing them wrestling and playing was nothing new to the people.

After a while of rolling around on the cage floor with the cats Alicia got up and walked out of the cage as carelessly as she walked into it. Peter looked anxiously to her, the awe he was feeling very clear on his face. "So? Any ideas on what's wrong with them?"

"Yup, walk with me a minute will you?" She motioned for Peter to follow her as she headed back out of the building and towards the front of the cat enclosure. "Did you guys have any problems after the storm?"

Peter laughed at her reference to the devastation that hurricane Katrina caused in the city. "Other than the fact the whole place was under water?"

"Yeah, other than that. Did you have problems getting their habitat back to normal?"

He looked puzzled by where she was going with this line of questioning. "Well the boys enjoyed the mud quite a bit. Had a heck of a time getting the pool back to normal though. All the trash and algae in it was just gross."

Alicia nodded her head sagely and leaned over the corner of the tiger's habitat. She sniffed at the air experimentally and moved a few feet over to repeat the process. When she'd worked her way over to where she was leaning over the deepest part of the tiger's pool she stopped and waved her hand back in forth in front of Peter's face. "Smell that?"

He looked over the railing at the pool of water, clear and bright in the hot sun. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him so he slowly shook his head no. "What am I supposed to be smelling?"

"How bad was that algae after the storm?"

"Pretty bad. It got so thick for a while there that when the boys would go for a swim they'd come back inside and be green. Took us forever to get the pool cleaned out."

Alicia nodded at what she'd already figured out was the root of the problem. "And how much chlorine have you put into the pond?"

Peter actually looked stunned, "What? There shouldn't be any chlorine in the pool." He blinked at her for a moment and then leaned way over the railing, waving his hand in front of his face and suddenly smelling the chemical. He shot a glance at Alicia and then his face clouded into a mask of rage and he turned and stormed off back towards the door of the building. Alicia allowed him a few minutes to get the rage out of his system and berate whoever was responsible for the chemical in the water in private.

When she walked back into the building La Pierre was coming down the main hallway towards her. "You may not want to go back there right now, there's quite a bit of yelling going on."

Alicia chuckled lightly, "I figured that so I took my time coming back in."

"How did you know it was chlorine?"

She leaned against the cool wall and thought about it for a moment, "I actually smelled it on their breath when I was playing with them. People forget that tigers love to play in the water. Wouldn't be a big deal if they just played in it but they are smart animals and they know to stay hydrated in heat like this. I figure they are what, close to four hundred pounds apiece? So they probably drink more than a few gallons of water in a few days, that's enough to cause some seriously upset tummies."

"Well thank you very much for your time. You have an amazing way with the cats."

They walked back out into the bright sunshine and towards the golf cart, "I just seem to know what they need. I guess it's a gift. Plus it's what I love doing so that's a good thing huh?"

La Pierre laughed heartily at her humility, "It's a gift indeed. Say, you wouldn't be looking for a more permanent position would you? If you're that good with tigers I'm pretty sure we could give you some interesting challenges here."

Alicia looked frankly at the man and decided he wasn't kidding. "I'd love to say yes but I just can't stand this heat. Nope, I'm a northern girl for sure. But, you are most welcome to give me a call if you need help. I'd be happy to do what I can."


	5. Chapter 5

Alicia walked into the darkened hotel room and tossed her duffel bag on the bed. She wasn't scheduled to leave New Orleans for three more days and the zoo was putting her up in a pretty nice hotel. She explored the room for a few moments and decided that a shower was the first order of business.

Once she'd finished her shower she sat on the bed and flipped through the limited TV channels to determine that there was, in fact, nothing on to watch. Maybe if she got a bite to eat she'd feel better. So she got dressed and went down to the front desk of the hotel to ask where a good place to eat was.

"Oh chere, you want to head on over to the Quarter. You'll find everything you could possibly want over there." The concierge told her.

Thanking the man she asked for him to hail a cab for her and she slid into the waiting vehicle and directed the driver to take her to the Quarter. They chatted as he drove and she got several recommendations for the best places to eat. Once he dropped her off, she strolled through the crowds and looked into the windows of several of the shops. Once she got a whiff of something that smelled exquisitely wonderful she realized how hungry she was and made her way over towards the front of the restaurant the scent was emanating from. As she stood in the line to get a table she suddenly remembered that she had friends here in town.

Mentally slapping herself for not thinking to call them earlier she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and searched for Amanda's number. The phone rang several times and she was about to hang up when someone picked up the phone.

"Hello?" a man's voice rumbled through the speaker.

"Hi, is Amanda in?" Alicia asked.

"Yes she is. May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Alicia Caine."

The man's voice whispered something to someone on that end of the phone and Alicia heard it being snatched out of the mans hand and a high-pitched squeal of delight came over the phone. "Ally? Is it really you?"

"Amanda?"

"Oh my god! Alicia Caine as I live and breathe are you still alive?" The woman on the other end of the phone was a very dear friend to Alicia and hearing her voice again made her feel like she'd come home.

"Much to my boss's eternal dismay, yes I am. How are you doing little Flash?" Alicia motioned to the hostess at the restaurant that she was alone and the young woman guided her to a table in the center of the crowded dining room. Once she was seated she returned her full attention to Amanda.

"Oh good god I can't believe you remember that." Amanda whined.

Alicia couldn't help but laugh at her friend's expense, "At least one of us remembers it."

"So where are you these days?" Amanda asked.

"Well actually I'm in town right now." Alicia motioned for the waitress that had been patiently waiting for her order to bring her a salad to start with and a glass of white wine. The girl scurried off and Alicia returned to the chewing out she was getting from Amanda.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Uh Mandy, I _am_ calling you."

"Well you should have called before you came in, I would have picked you up and you could have stayed here you know."

"I didn't want to impose on you. Besides the zoo is putting me up. Pretty nice place too. So how is married life treating you?"

"Good, wait…where are you?"

Alicia looked around and finally noticed the name of the restaurant her nose had guided her to, "Someplace down here in the Quarter. Um….Jean Lafitte?"

Amanda squealed again in delight. "Don't order yet, I'm on my way!"

Alicia didn't even have time to protest before Amanda had hung up the phone. So she looked around the restaurant while she waited for her friend to arrive.


	6. Chapter 6

They had been sitting at the small table in the middle of the restaurant for several hours now, howling with laughter and catching up on each other's lives. Amanda and Alicia had been sophomores together at LSU. They shared some undergraduate classes and a lot of good times. Amanda of course stayed in New Orleans because it was her home and she wouldn't leave her family. Alicia however seemed destined to bounce around from place to place until she finally found her niche in Pennsylvania.

LSU was actually the second school she'd attended, Oregon State being her first. She knew she wanted to be a veterinarian and she'd taken classes at several schools that had decent vet programs. Once she'd realized her gift with exotic animals she'd focused on the study of them at Cornell. Then when it came time for her internship and residency she was offered a spot in Jim Gresham's program outside of U Penn and she'd jumped at the chance.

"I still can't believe you never settled down," Amanda said as they sipped their steaming cups of chicory coffee. "Weren't you the big advocate for that?"

"Oh don't rub it in. I guess I just never found the right guy you know?"

Amanda smiled at her friend, "Well I could try to help out with that."

Alicia suddenly brightened and raised her eyebrows at that suggestion. "Oh? Does Kyrian have a brother I don't know about?"

"Well no, but I can look around anyway."

"Nah, I'm sure the right man will cross my path eventually. New topic, when do I get to meet your incredible daughter? I'm sure that the pictures you've sent just do not do her justice."

Amanda dabbed her lips with her napkin and tossed it on the table, "Why don't you come back to the house? I'm sure that Kyrian would love to see you. And more importantly, I'm sure that Tabby would love to catch up if she's not out saving the world."

"Oh good god, is she still trying to save the world one bum at a time?"

Amanda slid her gaze over to the taller woman's face and decided that it would be best not to say anything more, "Yeah, something like that. Come on, let's go."

Amanda had called Tabitha on their way back to the house and told her that she needed to come over. When Tabby began questioning her sister's motives Amanda deftly hung up on her. "There, now she has no choice."

"Oh my god is that your house?" Alicia asked as they drove through the gate of what could only be described as a mansion. "Wow, accounting has really paid off huh?"

Amanda laughed as she parked the car and they got out, "Well Kyrian had a bit of money tucked away too."

"A bit? Whoa," She gaped at the house as they walked into the back door and the massive kitchen.

Amanda tossed her purse and keys on the counter and lead Alicia through the house to the large and comfortable living room where they found Kyrian playing on the floor with Marissa. The little girl was happily dressing a Barbie doll while her father pushed a doll sized car around the legs of the coffee table with another Barbie in it.

"Hey you two, what are you up to?" Amanda said as she plopped down on the sofa behind Kyrian and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey Alicia, long time no see. How have you been?" Kyrian asked. He rose from the floor and offered Alicia a seat on the couch.

"Oh I'm good. Looks like life's been treating you two well. Oh she's a beauty isn't she?" Alicia said as Marissa wandered over to inspect the new person in the house. "Hello Marissa, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

The little girl cocked her head at her mother's friend and then grinned at her. "Did you bring me a present?"

"Marissa! That's not polite." Amanda scolded.

Alicia laughed at the frankness of the little girl, "I'm sorry I didn't bring you one but I may be able to make up for that. Do you like to go to the zoo?" She shot a glance over at Amanda looking for approval of what she was about to offer to the girl. Amanda nodded once and looked at her daughter.

Marissa looked back and forth between her mother and father and Alicia and then smiled and popped her thumb into her mouth as she nodded. "I like the elephants, they are funny."

Alicia laughed at the answer, "I think they're funny too. Would you like to go meet the elephants?"

Marissa blinked at her in confusion. "Do you know the elephants?"

The adults in the room got a chuckle out of that and Alicia explained that she worked at the zoo taking care of the animals and if Marissa would like to go meet some of them up close that Alicia would arrange it. This made Marissa beam in delight and she suddenly became Alicia's best friend climbing up in the woman's lap and giving her sloppy kisses.

Kyrian put Marissa to bed a little while later and the women were sitting in the living room when Tabitha stormed into the house, "What is wrong with you? Do you know how much I worry about you when I get cryptic phone calls like that? This better be good Mandy." She stopped in her tracks when she saw Alicia and she squealed in delight much like Amanda had earlier, "Ally? Oh my god! I haven't seen you in forever. What are you doing in town?"

They spent a few more hours catching up with their respective lives until Tabby said she had to get home. Once she'd left Alicia also announced that she should be getting back to her hotel so she could get up and go to the zoo in the morning. "Would you mind calling me a cab?"

"Oh nonsense! How long are you in town for?" Amanda asked.

"Three more days. Why?"

Amanda looked over at Kyrian and he nodded and grinned. "Why don't you take one of our cars? That way you don't have to worry about a cab if you go somewhere."

"Oh I don't know about that," she mumbled.

"Go on, it's not a big deal. You'll be more comfortable if you can get yourself someplace right?" Kyrian asked. "C'mon, you can have your pick. Well, that's not true, the minivan is mine."

Both of the women blinked in surprise at the man's claiming of the minivan that was the exact opposite vehicle any man that looked like Kyrian should want to be driving. Alicia looked over at Amanda and when her friend nodded and shoed her towards the garage she didn't hesitate any further. If her friends wanted to let her borrow a car she certainly wouldn't say no. Especially since they probably had high-end vehicles that she would never be able to drive in her real life. She ducked into the garage as Kyrian flipped on the lights and her breath caught in her throat, they had a Lamborghini.

She followed her desire towards the incredible car and just barely stopped herself from actually drooling on its shiny black surface. "I can't believe you have a Lamborghini. So Kyrian…any brothers or cousins or other male relatives I need to meet?"

He laughed a deep hearty chuckle and she grinned at him wickedly. "No, not that I am aware of."

"Damn!"

"You want to take it for a spin?" Kyrian asked as he reached for the keys that were neatly hung on a hook in a cabinet.

Amanda gulped and waited to see if the dream was going to poof out of her head. When it didn't she grinned at him, "I would give more than one highly important body part to be able to, but I certainly can't take such an expensive car. I'd have to commit ritual suicide if I scratched it. Nah, I'll take something a bit less showy." She swiveled around in the big garage and her eyes came to rest on the perfect vehicle for her needs. "Can I take that?"

Kyrian glanced over to where Alicia was pointing and he smiled broadly, "Well now you're my kinda woman."

"Hey!" Amanda protested. "Down boy!" She smiled at Kyrian with a look of love that made Alicia nearly jealous. Then Kyrian turned back to the rack of keys and took down the ones for the Ducati that Alicia was pointing to while Amanda walked over to her friend and tossed her arm over the other woman's shoulder. "Yup, you haven't changed a bit have you?"

"I try not to, it confuses people. You're serious? I can take this?"

"Of course, that's what friends are for. I'm sure you'll take good care of her. Here, you can use Amanda's helmet, it should fit better than mine does. I'll make some plans to pick it up from the hotel or the airport or whatever, when you're done with it."

Alicia looked between her friends and couldn't believe how incredibly wonderful they were. "Thank you Kyrian, I would kiss you if it wouldn't mean instantaneous death at the hands of your wife. You guys are the best!"


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning found Alicia slipping through traffic as she rode towards the zoo on the Ducati. She was marveling at the incredible power of the bike and she vowed that once she started making some decent money she'd buy herself one of the incredible machines. She pulled into the back gate of the zoo where the employees parked and found a space near some shade and then made her way across the campus to the cat house where she found Peter Thomas already inside.

"Morning Peter. How are the boys doing?" She asked as she put her helmet down on a table and unzipped the jacket she had on.

"Still pretty lethargic but they seem a bit happier."

She wandered over beside him and knelt down to greet the tigers. "Well it'll take a few days to get it all out of their systems but they'll be fine. Won't you boys? You'll be out dazzling the tourists in no time." She petted the tigers for a few moments and then looked frankly at Peter. "How much pull do you have around here?"

"Huh?"

"I have a friend here in town and her daughter would love it if she could come meet some of the animals up close. Is there anyway I can pull some strings to make that happen?"

Peter looked at her in wonder, "Apparently you haven't figured out just how much these boys mean to La Pierre. I'd say right about now you could ask him to take one of the animals home and he'd hand you the keys to his car to transport whatever critter you wanted. Let me talk to him and we'll get something worked out for your friends. What's a good time?"

"You know I never asked. I'll call them a bit later on and find out. I really appreciate it Peter."

He grinned at her and went towards his desk, "Don't thank me just yet, I've got a favor for you too."

Alicia raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him, "Now that sounds ominous. What did you have in mind?"

Peter's laugh was infectious and she couldn't help but giggle at the joke. "Nothing painful, don't worry. I don't know you well enough to cause grief. I do however, have a friend out on the edge of town that would absolutely love to speak with you for a while if you had the time and inclination."

Alicia perched on the edge of his desk and glared at him trying to figure out what his game was, "Oh really? And what does this friend of your want to talk to me about?"

He raised his hands in surrender and chuckled, "Nothing like what you seem to be thinking. He's a vet and he gets a bunch of exotics in his practice and I'm sure you and he could find plenty to bounce back and forth. He's a good man, you'll like him I promise."

Alicia nodded at him and smiled, "If he's a friend of yours I'm sure that he's a good guy. So, where do I find him?"

Peter gave her directions out to the practice and after she'd played with the tigers a bit more she slid back onto the Ducati and headed for the outskirts of town.

"Hello? Anyone around?" Alicia called into the seemingly empty building. She saw no one behind the desk and no movement in the offices behind it but there was a red pickup truck parked out front so someone had to be around. "Yoo hoo!" Still no one answered her so she sat in one of the comfortable chairs in the waiting room and reached for a magazine. Somebody would come out front eventually and she wasn't in any hurry.

She'd been sitting there for a few minutes when another vehicle came racing down the gravel driveway and skidded to a halt out front. Alicia figured it was an emergency so she jogged out the front door to find a very distraught woman lowering the tailgate of a Jeep. The woman glanced up at Alicia and reached in to tug on a blanket that had the largest dog she'd ever seen on it.

"Where's Carson?" the woman asked.

"I'm not sure, there's no one inside so I was waiting for him. Here, let me help," Alicia said as they pulled the blanket out revealing that the dog was seriously wounded. It looked like something tore his stomach open and the blood was seeping into the blanket. "Oh no, let's get him inside."

The woman's wild eyes slid over Alicia and the panic that was written on her face nearly unsettled Alicia but she'd seen nasty wounds before and she knew that the sooner the dog was inside the better his chances were. "Don't touch him, he's got a temper. Where's Carson?"

"It's okay, I'm a vet. He needs treatment right now. Let's get him inside."

Alicia's words did nothing to calm the other woman, "No I need Carson. I have to find him." She glanced over at the red pickup in the driveway and then ran off around the back of the building. Not sure where the woman was going but knowing that the big dog needed help Alicia tugged the blanket the rest of the way out of the back of the Jeep and hefted the dog up and carried him inside. She lay the dog down on the first exam table she found and reached for a pair of gloves. She had just flipped on the light and was reaching for a stethoscope when the woman ran in the front door followed by a very tall man with a definite Native American heritage.

"Aw shit," the man said as he joined Alicia in the exam room. "Fury you dumbass."

They worked together with barely a word said between them two of them as the panicked woman watched them fix the wounds the dog had received. When the man, presumably Carson, finally had a moment to look over at Alicia he smiled at her, "Guess you're every bit as good as Peter said."

"If you say so. Is it always like this out here?"

Carson laughed and threw his gloves in the trash. "No, usually it's a bit more exciting. You picked a dull morning. Carson Whitethunder," he said as he held out his hand to her.

"Alicia Caine."

"It's a real pleasure to meet you. Oh, and this is Bride Kattalakis and this big fool on the table is Fury." The other woman still looked panicked but she seemed a bit calmer now that it looked like her dog would be okay. "So what happened?"

Carson guided Bride to a chair in the lobby and Alicia stood next to the big dog on the table but she could still hear what was being said. "I don't really know. I was leaving for work and I found him in the yard. You know out by the tree line. I know he was out last night but…he's going to be okay right? Vane will kill me if anything happens to him."

Carson glanced back into the room to where the dog was laying and he nodded, "He'll be fine. You know he's had a lot worse before. He's a tough mutt."

Bride laughed at the reassurance that Carson gave her and she sniffled a little as he handed her a box of tissues. "Thank you Carson." She leaned over and whispered something in the man's ear and Alicia turned back to the dog so as not to eavesdrop.

The dog was absolutely huge, obviously he had some wolf in his heritage and she couldn't imagine what he'd gotten into a fight with that would rip him up so badly. Perhaps a bear? Fury whimpered and began wiggling on the table and Alicia stroked his fur and crooned reassuringly at him. His brilliant green eyes blinked up at her and a brief growl escaped. Alicia splayed her fingers in front of his nose and crooned softly at him to reassure him. Once he'd sniffed at her and taken stock of his injuries and the familiar surroundings he calmed down and resumed his whimpering.

"It's okay sweetie, you're safe. Carson and I patched you up. Now you've got to stay still so you don't rip those stitches out."

Carson and Bride had obviously heard her and they appeared in the doorway. Bride flashed a glance from the dog to the woman standing next to him and she reached out to grab Alicia's hand away, "You need to back up he doesn't like…well he doesn't like anyone to be honest."

Alicia blinked at the woman, "We're fine. He knows I'm not going to hurt him."

As if to emphasize her point Fury yipped a bit and licked at her hand. Bride's eyes couldn't have gotten any wider and Carson looked pretty stunned too. "Well look at that. Yup, you are every bit as good as Peter said. Something special about you young lady."

Alicia laughed at the 'young lady' part since she was probably the same age as he was. "Well I guess they just know I won't hurt them."

Bride, still shaking her head and ruffling Fury's fur said, "If Fury trusts you that's saying more than a little. He barely trusts me but Vane will kill him if he touches me. You have a gift."

Alicia laughed at the woman's assessment. "Oh I don't know about that. Anyway, I'm sorry to intrude on your day Carson but Peter said you were interested in talking to me."

"More than ever," he glanced at Bride and she rolled her eyes towards the door. "If you don't mind, I'm going to walk Bride to her car. I'll be back in a second."

"No need to ask me. I'll just make sure this big guy's okay." She murmured, returning her attention to the dog.


	8. Chapter 8

"So you get things like that all the time?" Alicia asked as she and Carson sipped the coffee he'd brewed in the tiny kitchen of the hospital.

"Well there's a few wild animal roaming around here and we get the occasional fight. Sometimes something will run afoul of a gator but usually it's simple stuff. You get a good deal of excitement though don't you?"

Alicia laughed and basked in the easy friendship that the two vets had forged over the course of the morning. Nothing else had happened since Bride brought Fury in and they'd spent the morning chatting about various cases they'd had. Carson had promised that once the tech came in at two he'd take her into town for a decent meal. "Not as much as you'd like to think. Nope most of the zoos I deal with believe in 'sedate heavy and sedate often'. Damn shame they just don't have a clue."

"Hmmm, but the animals are well cared for right?"

She looked over the top of her mug at him, "Do you honestly think I'd let them get away with anything else?"

Carson chuckled at that, "No I doubt you would. You're a mighty strong woman. How' d you manage to get Fury in here all by yourself?"

"You ever try to hold down a pissed off lion with a toothache?"

His eyes widened, "Nope, can't say I have had that pleasure."

She laughed at the confused look on his face. "Well it's not much of a pleasure but it does aid in the building up of muscles. He's gotta be the biggest dog I've ever seen, does he have wolf in him?"

Carson blinked and got up quickly to get more coffee, "Yeah, something like that. Oh hey, I hear Margie coming in. Let me let her know what's going on and we'll go get you fed."

Carson drove them into town and parked behind a building that looked like an old church. The private lot was roped off and there were several motorcycles of various make in it. Once they'd gotten out of Carson's pickup they walked around to the front of the building where a huge man with long blonde hair and the tightest jeans Alicia had ever seen was sitting on a stool.

"Hey Carson how you doing today?" the blonde giant said.

"Not bad Dev. How's things around here?" Carson shook the man's hand like they were good friends.

"Quiet today. Mama's in the kitchen if you want to talk to her."

"Nah, just coming by for a bite. Oh, sorry, Dev Peltier this is Alicia Caine. She's a vet that was sent down here to look at the zoo's tigers."

"Nice to meet you ma'am. Good to hear the cats are getting some help, Wren will be glad to hear that."

Alicia shook Dev's huge hand and they wandered into the main seating area of the bar to grab a table. Carson insisted on ordering for Alicia telling her that she had to have the house specialty and she wouldn't regret it. They chatted while they waited for the food to come and Alicia was surprised at the number of people that stopped by to say hello to Carson. Apparently he was quite a popular person in this town.

Once they'd finished one of the spiciest but most delicious meals she'd ever had they got back into Carson's truck and drove back to the veterinary on the outskirts of town. They picked each other's brains as they drove and Alicia decided that she'd most definitely found a friend in Carson.

"So I've got to ask since you seem to be very well known around here, where's a good place for a girl from out of town to go to dance?"

Carson glanced over at her and his face broke out in a big grin, "Party girl huh? You've come to the right town."

Alicia blushed a little and shook her head, "Oh no! Not a party girl I just want to burn off some energy. I like to dance, good exercise you know."

"Mmm-hmm. Well pretty much any bar in town has some sort of dancing, any particular type you're looking for?'"

"I don't know, maybe I'll just ask my friends."

Carson pulled the truck into the gravel drive of the veterinary, "Got friends in town huh?"

She nodded at him, "Yeah old college buddies. Well I thank you kindly for the lunch and all the chat. Stop by the zoo soon cause Peter seems to miss having someone to talk too."

Carson laughed as she climbed back on the motorcycle and revved the engine. "Will do. And if you ever decide to come live down here you give me a call. I'd love to have someone of your caliber around here."


	9. Chapter 9

"Pandora's Box"

"Tabby? Is that you?"

There was a sound like a box of silverware falling to the floor in the background and a muffled curse and then Tabitha returned her attention to the phone call. "Hey Ally, how ya doin?"

Alicia laughed at her friend and the vain attempt to cover her accident. "I'm good Tabs, still dropping things I hear."

"Damn, you never forget do you?" Tabitha laughed.

"Comes from working around elephants. Hey, I got a question for you. Where's a good place to go dancing?"

Tabitha snorted into the phone, "Depends, you want Mandy's type of dancing or mine?"

Alicia thought about that for a brief second and replied, "Tabby don't you know me better than that by now?"

"Fine, then I'll do you one better than telling you, I'll show you. Wanna come down to my shop and then we can just walk over from here?"

Alicia had been looking at all of the interesting things in Tabitha's shop for about an hour now and she was starting to get bored. They were just waiting on Tabitha's friend Marla to come and take over the shop so they could leave to go dancing. Alicia was about to start whining again when the bells on the door jangled and a large woman came bustling in.

"Sorry I'm late shug, couldn't find my eyes," the woman said as she hurried behind the counter. "All right you two be on your way and have some fun for me now here? Oh and Tabby you tell Mister Man that if he don't want that nice black coat any more I'll be happy to find it a new home."

Tabitha laughed as she grabbed her jacket and hustled Alicia out of the shop, "Will do Marla. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Alicia stood outside the shop waiting and grabbed Tabitha by the elbow before she could escape. "And just who is Mister Man? Are you holding out on me?"

Tabitha had the good sense to look ashamed that she hadn't told her friend about the man she loved. But then again, Valerius was out of town right now so it wasn't like she could meet him. "Well, you see…I kinda fell in love."

"What?!" Alicia's screech made several passerby look over at the two women. "And just when were you planning on telling me this Tabitha Devereaux? Some nerve you have, and I thought we were friends."

"You done yet?"

Alicia couldn't hold the anger and broke out in giggles which set Tabitha off too and when they finally calmed down Tabby told her about how she'd fallen in love with Valerius Magnus. They talked as they walked across Jackson Square towards Toulouse where the club Tabby knew was located. They worked their way through the crowded streets of the Quarter and Alicia marveled at how full of life the city was once more. She'd watched all she could find on the news with coverage of Katrina, fearful that her friends may come to harm. She'd seen all of the pictures of the devastation and eagerly helped out with donations and food drives to assist the victims of the storm. Some of the remnants of the water damage and debris were still visible but most of the Quarter had been restored in hopes of having the tourists return. And return they did if the size of the crowds packing the street in front of the club were any indication.

Alicia hesitated as Tabitha barreled her way past the waiting crowds and right up to the door of the club where and extremely large black man sat on a stool looking bored with the whole scene. His face perked up when he saw Tabby pop up in front of him and he ran an appreciative glance up and down Alicia.

"Tabby! Long time no see," his deep voice sounded like thunder.

"Hey Bobby Ray, how's your momma doing?"

"Oh she's good, you tell Tia that cream she gave her worked just like she said. Don't you go getting into trouble tonight okay?" he said as he waved the two women past.

Tabby lead Alicia through a hallway that a deep thumping bass echoed through. "Jeez Tabs do you know everyone?" Alicia asked before they entered a bar that was packed full of people in leather and black Goth clothing. Alicia immediately relaxed into her natural comfort zone and she grinned at her friend.

They let the crowd's movement carry them around the dance floor and then by unspoken agreement they launched themselves into the thick of the crowd. Both women danced happily with whoever was around them, sometimes even each other. Alicia lost sight of Tabitha but wasn't worried because she knew that she'd find her friend eventually. She happily danced to the deep rumble of the music until she was panting from the heat being generated by all of the bodies. So she worked her way over towards the bar to get a drink.

Tabitha meanwhile had spotted someone that couldn't be mistaken for anyone else and worked her way across the floor to snake up beside Acheron Parthenopaeus. He was scanning the crowd from behind his ever present dark sunglasses. Tabby knew what the silver swirling of his eyes did to people that weren't a part of their world so she simply accepted them now as a part of his being.

"Hey gorgeous babe!" she shouted over the music.

"Tabitha, how are you?" Ash asked in his deep bass rumble. He looked like he was about twenty one but Tabby knew that he was much, much older than that. She still wasn't sure exactly _what_ he was but she knew that he was a damn powerful being and she never questioned any further than that.

"Good, what's up?" she said as she slid up next to him and began scanning the crowd as well. Ash didn't usually show up at the Dungeon unless there were Daimons out and about but she hadn't felt that familiar tingle between her shoulders so she hadn't been looking for the ethereally pretty blondes that meant nothing but trouble.

He glanced down at her and chuckled. Tabitha Devereaux was one of the things that kept the things that go bump in the night from killing innocent people. Of course when the Daimons were about Ash tended to be close behind if there was serious trouble so Tabitha had immediately gone on guard when she saw him scanning the crowd. "Nothing Tabby, relax. You know you shouldn't let Valerius hear you calling me 'gorgeous babe' like that, He'll get all jealous and then I'll have to hurt him."

Tabitha shimmied up and down, "Oooo, you sure know how to make a girl miss her man."

Ash peered over the top of his sunglasses at her, "Yuck! That's a mental picture I did _not_ need."

Tabitha burst out laughing at him and went back to looking around the crowd. "So where's Simi tonight?"

"Oh she and Xirena said something about it being 'girl's night' and kicked me out so I figured I'd come hang out for a while."

Tabitha nodded and empathized with Simi, after all the little demon had been all alone for a very long time and since she'd found out that her sister was alive and well she'd spent a great deal of time with Xirena. Tabitha had befriended Simi a while back and she was trying to make friends with Xirena too but the older demon simply did not like humans.

"So what brings you up here tonight?" Ash asked, still scanning the crowd.

"Friend in town, thought I'd take her out to dance."

Ash nodded sagely, "And where is this friend?"

Tabitha looked up at him. It was hard not to look up at him since he was six foot eight. "Dancing somewhere over there," she gestured casually. She knew that Alicia wouldn't leave without her and she wasn't into blondes so Daimons would have a hard time with her.

Ash rumbled low in his chest, perhaps a laugh, perhaps something else and flicked a glance at his friend, "Don't let her get into trouble."

"No worries big guy, I…" she trailed off as Ash's attention was suddenly turned towards something on the other side of the room. He stepped away from the table, mouth gaping and he reached up and took his sunglasses off, something Tabitha had never seen him do in public before. "Ash?"

His swirling silvery eyes scanned the crowd trying to catch another glimpse of the person he'd seen. He was completely mystified by her presence because he hadn't seen her since he was still alive which was several thousand years ago. Surely it was someone that just looked remarkably like her. He edged his way into the crowd of dancers, Tabitha right behind him in case there was trouble.

There, he caught another glance of her from behind, he still wasn't sure if it was her or not so he edged closer to where she was dancing with a tall black man. Tabitha was a comforting warmth behind him and she craned her neck to try to spot what he was looking at. Suddenly the dancing woman swirled to face him and he saw her face. "Phae…?" he stammered.

"Ash?" Tabby called from behind him. He swiveled around to look down at her and then he glanced back to where the other woman was but she'd moved aside and he'd lost sight of her. "Ash you're scaring me here. What's going on?"

Ash turned around and his face didn't so much change, as revert to its usual blank expression. "Nothing Tab, just thought I saw someone I used to know. Hey, I'm gonna go visit with Marissa for a bit, I'll catch you next week for movies okay?"

She nodded at him, "Sure, say hi to Simi for me."

"Will do. You and your friend have fun." And then he melted into the crowd leaving Tabitha staring dumbly behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

Alicia danced through the crowd until she was ready to drop, the pent up energy she'd had building up finally finding its release. She wandered around the edges of the crowd looking for Tabitha with a vaguely uneasy feeling like someone was watching her. Of course that was highly possible in a club like this. There were plenty of bikers and such that seemed to find her highly attractive.

She finally spotted Tabitha's tall frame and auburn hair by the bar talking to yet another person that Tabby obviously knew. Once she'd worked her way over to the bar she sat on a stool near her friend and scanned the crowd trying to figure out who was watching her. There were a few obligatory bikers down the bar checking her out but that didn't seem like the source of the uncomfortable feeling so she kept looking.

Finally her eyes rested on the tallest and without a doubt most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. He was easily six foot six, probably taller but she couldn't tell from so far away. He was wearing a very nice pair of leather pants and a slightly worse for wear t-shirt with a dinosaur on it. When he turned to look at the person next to him, his long hair that was dyed a bright green color slipped over his shoulder and Alicia immediately pegged him as a model. No other man she'd ever seen could get away with hair that long and make it work. Plus he was wearing sunglasses inside so that meant that he thought he was better than everyone else here.

Silently dismissing the pretty boy she resumed scanning the crowd trying to figure out who it was that was making her uneasy. Tabitha finished talking to her friend a few moments later and she motioned for Alicia to make a decision on if they were staying longer or leaving now. Alicia pointed to her wrist and then made a motion like she was laying her head on a pillow and Tabby nodded.

Seeing the interaction between Tabitha and the woman that looked so much like the woman he'd known so long ago, Ash deftly plucked her name from Tabitha's head and left the club.

Once they were outside in the cool night air and a measure of Alicia's hearing had returned to her, she asked Tabitha if she wanted to go to the zoo with everyone in the morning. Peter had done what he'd said and set up a private tour of the zoo that no one other than an employee would get so that Marissa could see the animals up close.

"Aw that's sweet of you but I've got to work at the shop tomorrow. Thank you though. I'm sure Marissa will love it."

The two women walked back to Tabitha's shop chatting and laughing as they went. Once they got there Tabitha hugged her friend and made her promise to come visit more often. Then she slid into her Mini Cooper and zoomed off into the night.

The next morning Alicia roared into the Hunter's driveway to be greeted by smiles and a big sloppy wet kiss by Marissa who was beyond excited about getting to see an elephant up close. They all piled into Kyrian's minivan and drove across town to the zoo. Alicia directed Kyrian to park in the employee's lot and they managed to get everyone out and all of the stuff that Amanda had brought with them for Marissa into the stroller and they were on their way.

Peter Thomas met them at the monkey house and gave them a tour that amazed everyone. Marissa was enthralled with the fact that Peter not only knew her name but that he answered all of her questions patiently and with a great deal of care. Everyone enjoyed meeting the animals up close and Marissa even got to pet a few of the more docile ones.

They worked their way through the zoo, only going where Marissa deemed important and Alicia found herself trailing behind the others just enjoying seeing the animals in their habitats. She had paused outside the zebra's area and was watching the animals buck and chase each other in the early afternoon sun when she looked over to see a man that looked exactly like the model from the club the night before except that this guy's hair was black.

She wandered in his general direction trying not to look like she was looking at him but he started to move as well and she soon lost him in the crowd. Putting the man out of her mind she turned back to the zebra's area and watched the animals playing.

She'd spotted him and even though his hair was now black it was hard to hide his very tall frame. He moved around the corner of the enclosure towards the giraffes and when he sensed that she'd directed her attention elsewhere he peeked back around the corner to watch her.

She was as tall as he remembered, lithe and well muscled, her exquisitely soft flesh sparking a response in him that he thought he'd never again experience. Her tawny skin as deeply tanned as it had been in the spring when he'd met her, bronzed to perfection by the sun in the fields. She leaned over the edge of the zebra's confinement and he noted the soft swell of her ass and longed to grab it in his hands as he carried her to the nearest bed.

But it couldn't be her. Phaedryn had died a long, long time ago and there was no way that she could be here now. He chided himself for being ridiculous. Given the expanse of years he'd been alive it was certain that eventually he'd run across someone that resembled every single person he'd ever known. He watched her as she looked around to find Kyrian and Amanda and he tried to put the thought of her out of his mind.

He'd nearly succeeded when she stepped into the sunlight and her deep black hair sparked to life and became the deepest, richest red he'd ever seen.


	11. Chapter 11

"Akri?" A cool hand nudged his shoulder, "Can you hear the Simi? Akri?"

Ash blinked his eyes open and wondered why he was still in bed. He thought for a moment and then his eyes shot open in panic. He sat up in his bed nearly knocking Simi across the room. "Where is she?" he gasped.

"Where is who akri? Do you want the Simi to barbeque someone for you? Is it the heifer goddess again? Simi will happily barbeque the heifer if akri says its okay."

Ash glanced around himself and realized that he was now in Katoteros with a distraught Simi and a very unhappy looking Alexion standing behind her. "I'm fine Sim. How did I get here?"

"The Simi brought you here. Simi was worried akri. You went all wonky and then it felt like you was dying and Simi came to you as fast as fast could be. What happened akri?" Simi was now practically in his lap. She craved his contact when strange things came up and this apparently was one of those times.

He looked over to Alexion who shrugged in the doorway and then he cuddled Simi close to calm her down. "I'm not sure. I…I saw someone that looked like a person I once knew."

He offered no further explanation than that so Alexion turned to go back to whatever needed his attention most and Simi happily cuddled with Ash.

"So? How was your trip?" Jim Gresham asked her with a wink and a leer. He tried to find ways to sate his more base needs while he traveled, being a subscriber to the reasoning of 'if it doesn't happen here I can't get into trouble for it'.

Alicia grinned at him and waggled her eyebrows, "Much more boring than you'd enjoy. I did however get to the root of the problem and still found time to have fun with my friends."

Jim actually looked disappointed, "Well at least you had some fun, even if it wasn't really _fun_ per se."

"Oh I think it was plenty of fun. Plus I got to meet some good contacts and I got a few offers to come work down there."

This brightened Jim's face a bit, "Really? Gonna take any of those offers?"

Alicia rolled her eyes at him and pulled some papers out of her backpack, "Now you know I can't leave you here all alone Jim. After all, who'd pull your butt out of the fire?"

He walked over to where she was standing and put a paternal arm across her shoulder, "You're gonna have to leave the nest eventually little chickie and now is as good a time as any. If you've got an offer, take it."

Alicia exhaled heavily, "Jim, you know I don't want to leave the center. I feel comfortable here and I enjoy working with you, even if you are a right bastard most days. I know I can handle any job they throw at me but I just don't want to leave."

He looked at her critically and then nodded once, "So you're just trying to kill me huh?"

"Yup!"

Alicia hurried to get the phone in her small apartment before it woke Sophia up. She was so good at ignoring the ringer on it that she'd had to turn it up to near deafening levels and Sophia had begun complaining about it. She certainly didn't want to annoy the other woman so she tried to keep it set to switch over to voice mail immediately but sometimes she forgot and left the ringer on.

"Hello?"

"Hey lovely 'Licia you up for some fun tonight?" The voice on the other end of the phone was slick and melodic and made Alicia smile. Andre was one of the younger students in the veterinary program and he was also a part time DJ at a local club that Alicia frequented.

"Hey Dre, you spinning tonight?"

"Would I ask if it was some half assed fool?"

She laughed at his mock elitist attitude, "You wouldn't steer me wrong. What time?"

"I wouldn't steer you wrong but I would steer you into my bed if you'd let me. Nine o'clock. I'll put you on the list," he said and hung up.

She smiled at his abruptness as well as the not so hidden flirt that he threw in. They had been good friends for a few months now and he was definitely not hiding his attraction to her but she had been very frank in telling him that she didn't mind the flirtatiousness but he shouldn't expect anything more. Now that he knew that it didn't offend her to flirt with her he made it into a constant joke that they both enjoyed.

With a plan for the evening she went ahead and got dressed and made her way into the office where she found a message on her phone from Peter Thomas. When she called him back he told her that Rex and Zulu were feeling much better and rapidly returning to their usual playful selves. He thanked her once more for her assistance and passed along thanks from Steven La Pierre as well. Before he hung up he once again offered her a spot on the zoo staff and she politely turned him down.

The line outside the club was long and getting longer despite the cool night air and the light rain falling. Alicia pulled her motorcycle up past the line of waiting people and stopped next to a short line of other bikes that was parked near the door. Several of the staff rode motorcycles to work because it was easier to find a parking spot and the club owner had designated a small area specifically for them by the door.

She waved at the bouncer who she knew and locked up her bike even though she knew that he'd watch it for her. Once she'd tied down her helmet she wandered over towards the front of the line and got more than one nasty look as the bouncer waved her past the waiting crowd.

Once inside the club she began to dance to the throbbing beat that permeated the room. She waved at a few of the people that she knew and then headed towards the DJ booth to say hi to Andre. He was chatting up some pretty young woman and she held back until the giggling girl had left.

"You cheating on me?" she teased.

"Oh no you know there is no other woman on the planet for me. You are the one and only. Now if you'd just say yes to me I'd die happy."

"In your dreams DJ man. Now play a nice long song and come dance with me will ya?" She dragged Andre out of the booth and onto the dance floor and they lost themselves in the middle of the crowd.

Alicia was thoroughly enjoying herself, feeling the beat of the music throb in her bones and the warmth of Andre's finely toned body pressed up against hers when she caught a glimpse of someone she thought she recognized. She slowed her frantic dancing down and scanned the edges of the crowd looking for whoever it was that sparked the recognition but she couldn't find anyone she knew.

When she returned her attention to Andre he motioned that he needed to go back to the booth and she nodded and shoed him away. The crowd closed in around her and she moved with several of the people in her immediate vicinity, several of the men looking at her as if she were the most desirable woman in the bar. She didn't do anything that would give any of them the wrong idea and she looked around for Andre to return to her. He was her self proclaimed body guard when they went clubbing declaring that if he couldn't have her for himself he wouldn't let anyone else lay hands on her either. She knew he was joking about his possessiveness but she appreciated his looking out for her nonetheless.

When he didn't return and she saw him occupied in the booth she waved at him and resumed her dancing but she still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. When the tingle of the feeling got to be powerful as well as unnerving she decided it was time to go somewhere she could get a good view of the crowd so she moved through the dancing bodies towards the bar. Once she slid up to the long lacquered bar she motioned to the bartender that she wanted a bottle of water and she slapped a five down on the bar to pay for it.

She leaned against the bar sipping the water and glancing around at the people in the crowd trying to find out where the uneasy feeling came from. She noticed a few people that she knew from the program and around town but no one seemed to be paying specific attention to her. When she finished her water she turned around to place the empty bottle on the bar and she happened to glance up in the mirror behind it and that's when she saw him.

Down at the far corner of the bar, nearly hidden behind a post was the tall man from New Orleans. Or at least it was someone who looked incredibly like him. The only difference she could see as she glanced over in his direction was that his hair was now streaked with red and blue over the jet black. She turned back around so that she could watch the man in the mirror without looking directly at him and she could see that it clearly was the same person that she'd seen in New Orleans. What on earth would he be doing here?

She watched him for a few moments as she tried to fend off an advance from a very drunk man at the bar and then she left the area and pointedly walked right past her new stalker to attract his attention. Hoping that he would take her bait she stalked to the hallway at the back of the club that housed the bathrooms and she paused at the top of it to make sure that he was following her. He was pretty easy to pick out of the crowd being so tall and when she saw the he was definitely working his way towards her she walked down the hall into the women's bathroom.

Once she'd entered the dimly lit restroom she realized that now she was basically trapped. She looked around for anything that would give her an idea as to what to do now and suddenly she had an idea. "Hey, any of you ladies wanna earn $20 just for taking a quick walk and coming back?"

A few of the women glanced at her but only one responded, "Sure, I'll take twenty bucks," she slurred.

"Okay, I just need you to take a walk down the hall out there and look for someone then come back and tell me if he's still there. Easy enough?"

The girl blinked at her as if she were waiting for the money to be produced and then nodded, "Okay, who'm I lookin for?"

Alicia grinned at her, "Real tall guy, can't miss him, definite NBA material. Black hair with streaks of blue and red. Oh, he's got shades on too."

The girl wobbled a bit and made a sloppy salute and staggered out of the bathroom. A few minutes later she came back in and made a bee line for Alicia. "Oooo, he's hot! Can I have m'twenny now?"

"Sure," Alicia said handing the woman the money. Now what did she do? She knew that the stalker was out there but how would she get past him? She couldn't hide back here forever. Watching one of the younger women in the restroom paint her lips with a tube of lipstick, she got another idea. "Anybody got a pen?"


	12. Chapter 12

Alicia walked out of the bathroom like she owned the entire club, she strutted down the hall with a seductive swagger in her hips and passed the folded up paper towel to the tall man that had been following her. She didn't wait for him to react but kept walking and headed into the crowd towards the front door. She passed the DJ booth and waved at Andre motioning that she was going to leave and that she'd call him later.

Once she got outside she nodded at the bouncer and paused long enough for her stalker to catch up to her. Then she headed towards the small parking lot that her motorcycle was in and leaned against the wall to wait for him. He came around the corner of the building and smiled at her, waving the note on the folded paper towel.

She'd figured that it would probably be best to just confront the man and if she had the backup of the bouncers she'd probably be better off than being lost in the crowd inside. Plus she could always make a break for the motorcycle and hopefully leave the creep in the dust. So she found a girl with a purse and a pen in the restroom and swiped a paper towel and scrawled a note on it. 'I'll be outside' was all she'd written but he got the hint.

"So, why are you following me?" she asked in a low voice. No point in worrying the bouncer needlessly.

The man looked at her over the top of his sunglasses and cocked his head as if he wasn't sure what he was seeing was real. "Sati?" he whispered.

She wasn't sure what he'd said, "What?"

He shook his head as if he were trying to clear his vision or something and said the word again a little louder. "Sati? Is it you?" 

"Look pal, I don't know what your game is but leave me alone. I know you've been following me and it creeps me out. I'm not interested okay?" She started to go towards the door of the club but realized that he was standing between her and the door.

"Your name is Alicia right?" he asked.

"Whoa, if you're stalking me buddy you'd better back off, I will make you sing soprano and you will _not_ like how I do it. Just leave me alone." She held up her hands defensively wondering if she could get to her bike and some measure of safety.

"Hang on, I won't hurt you. I don't mean you any harm," he kept looking at her over the tops of his glasses and the light was playing tricks on her because she could swear that his eyes were silver. "I'm sorry if I worried you. You look just exactly like someone I knew a long time ago."

She snorted at that remark, "What? Your third grade teacher?"

He chuckled low in his throat and it sounded almost like a growl, "No. I'm a bit older than I look. But you look like this person I knew and, well it kinda threw me for a loop."

"So you decided to stalk me for it? Look pal, a lot of people in this world look alike. I'm not your friend. Now if you'd please get out of my way."

She was almost past the man when he said, "I'm not stalking you. In fact I'm a friend of Amanda and Tabby's. That's how I first saw you."

That got Alicia's attention. "What?" She turned on her heel to face him and was astounded at just how far up she had to look to see his face. Not that she wasn't tall, she was a tad over six feet herself but this guy was a freaking skyscraper.

"I said I'm a friend of Amanda and Tabitha's. If you'd like to call one of them to verify it you're welcome to do so."

She wondered how he knew about her friends but if he had that much information he was either a serious psycho or he was telling the truth. Deciding to call his bluff if he was the psycho option she pulled out her phone and flipped it open.

She'd just scrolled down the directory to Amanda's number when he said, "Wait, call Tabby instead."

"How…?"

He chuckled again, "You didn't scroll very far. But don't call Amanda, it's a weeknight so she's probably asleep already. Call Tabitha instead, she stays up a bit later."

Alicia studied what she could see of his face behind the dark sunglasses and wondered how he knew so much about her and her friends. He was probably telling the truth but something still didn't sit right with her. Call it a hunch but she found Tabitha's number and hit send anyway.

Several rings later Tabitha picked up the phone, very out of breath, "'lo? What do you want?"

"Tab? It's Alicia you got a minute?"

Tabitha fumbled the phone a little and then replied, "Ally? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just need your help for a minute."

"Okay, what's up?" Tabitha said finally giving her full attention to the phone call.

Alicia looked over at the man again and noticed that he was smiling at her so she turned her back on him and lowered her voice, "Tabby there's this guy here who says he knows you. He's been following me and I'm slightly concerned."

Tabitha gasped as all of her worst thoughts ran to the front of her mind, "What guy? Are you safe?"

Alicia chuckled at her friends concern, "I'm fine but he says he knows you so I was wondering."

"What's his name?"

"I don't know he didn't tell me."

"Okay, describe him to me."

Alicia glanced back over her shoulder at the man who was now leaning against the wall as if he had all the time in the world. She ran her gaze up his body and realized exactly how well he fit into the leather pants he was wearing. "Um, he's tall. I mean really tall. Long hair, looks pretty Goth…"

Tabitha cut her off, "Wait, is he wearing really dark shades? Looks like he's yummy enough to eat?"

"Yes, and hell yes!"

"Ha! Put me on speaker will ya?" Tabitha said and waited patiently as Alicia did just that. "Ash? What the hell are you doing up there? And why are you bothering my friends?"

The man tilted his body away from the wall and laughed, "Hey Tab. Toga Boy home yet?"

Tabitha laughed at the 'toga boy' name. "Yeah he's here and you're interrupting my welcome home celebration by the way. Now tell me why you're stalking my friend."

"As I said, I'm not stalking her. She looks like someone I knew a long time ago and I wanted to get a better look. Besides, she's really a good dancer so…"

Alicia raised her eyebrow at him and then took the phone off speaker. "So I'm not gonna die here am I?"

"No, he's cool."

"You're 100 sure about that?"

Tabitha murmured something to someone else in the room and then said, "I'd stake my life on it. There is no one on the planet safer to be with than Ash. Now if you're done with me, I need to go rip Val's clothes off."

Alicia laughed and spat, "TMI Tabs," before the phone call ended abruptly.


	13. Chapter 13

"Satisfied?" Ash asked.

"Not entirely but I'll give you the benefit for now. So how come I saw you in New Orleans and now here?"

"Oh I travel a lot. My job takes me all over." He leaned back against the wall again and watched as Alicia started pacing back and forth like a panther as she questioned him.

She glanced up at him and took in his outfit and demeanor, "And what job is that? Drug dealer?"

He laughed deeply and richly and Alicia felt like she'd had a warm blanket draped over her shoulders, "No, not a drug dealer."

She studied him more closely and wondered what she'd have to do to hear that fabulous laugh again, "Okay, not a drug dealer. Circus giant?"

Ash rumbled out another laugh and Alicia wondered how long she could keep it going. The sound of that laugh made her all tingly in all the right places, "Nope. I work for a management firm."

"Ah, very cryptic. Okay then, don't tell me." She looked over at his smile and then down at her watch, "You hungry?"

"Not especially but if you are, I'd gladly accompany you." She raised an eyebrow at that remark and he held up his hands in surrender, "You know to keep you safe. Dangerous out here at night."

"Oh I can take care of myself thank you very much."

He gestured for her to lead the way and smiled, "Of that I have no doubt."

She led him a few blocks down to a diner where they found an empty booth and she grabbed a sticky plastic covered menu and glanced at it before tossing it back on the table. Once the waitress had come over and taken her order she sat back in the chair and studied him again. He was most definitely a good looking man, even with the multi colored hair and the ever present sunglasses. She wondered just how old he was and then put the thought out of her mind when the waitress returned with a steaming cup of coffee.

Ash just watched her as she sipped at the mug and wondered how it was that this woman could look exactly like Phaedryn. Even the small mole on the left side of her jaw was there, in exactly the same place. Goddess knew it had been a very, very long time since he'd seen Phaedryn's face but her's was one he would never forget no matter how long he lived. He sensed no sign of deceit in her, no trickery and absolutely no knowledge of who he was so she couldn't be Phaedryn but the resemblance was uncanny.

They chatted while they waited for her food to come and he explained how he knew Amanda and Tabitha to her and she explained her friendship with them to him. She asked him a few questions and when she got the most basic response he could give she figured he was a private person and stopped asking. He didn't ask her much other than how she'd liked New Orleans and how she liked it here in Pennsylvania.

By the time she'd finished her food he was looking around the diner like he wanted to escape. "You can leave if you're in a hurry," she told him.

"No hurry, just got some extra energy in me. Would you care to go back to the club and dance a while?"

She glanced at her watch and realized it wasn't even eleven o'clock yet. "Sure I don't have to work tomorrow."

He graced her with a smile and helped her to her feet after tossing a twenty on the table. "My lady," he said as he led her to the door before she could protest his paying.

They made their way back down the street and towards the still long line at the front of the club. Ash led her to the back of the line and she grinned and waved him up to the door. The bouncer she knew was still on duty and he waved them inside.

Ash moved through the crowd like he owned the place and Alicia followed in his wake as she mused at how handy it would be to have someone this large accompany her to crowded places. She'd never have to wait in the crowd again. Once they made it to the dance floor Ash started moving in time with the music in an easy and ever so slightly seductive rhythm that she fell into with no hesitation. They danced together closely as if they'd known each other their whole life and Alicia soon found herself wishing that she knew Ash much, much better. He was an extremely sensual man and she couldn't help but want to see if he was as good looking out of his clothes as he was in them.

They danced for a while to the various songs that pounded through the speakers until Alicia was panting and sweating. She motioned to Ash that she was going to get a drink and he dutifully followed her even though she hadn't asked him to. He waved the bartender over and paid for another bottle of water for her and she thanked him as she leaned against the bar.

Ash was looking around the bar when Andre sidled up beside Alicia and nodded to her. He leaned over and said something in her ear and for some reason Ash suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy that he immediately chided himself for. Andre was obviously a friend of hers and had every right to talk to her. Alicia turned around and tried to introduce him to Andre but her voice was drowned out by the loud music so the men simply nodded at each other and sized each other up. Ash couldn't help but grin at the other man who after all stood no chance of winning if it came down to it but he was well above petty human differences so he put the thought out of his mind as fast as it had entered.

Andre gave Ash a thumbs up and pointed to his Godsmack t-shirt and then worked his way back through the crowd to the DJ booth. Alicia motioned for Ash that she wanted to go back to the dance floor with a wave and a grin and once they worked their way back to the center of the crowd she moved in close to him and then pointed at the ceiling just as a techno-fied version of Godsmack's Serenity started playing. He grinned at the ceiling and then shot a wave to the DJ booth where Andre was raising a glass in a toast and returned his attention to Alicia who was dancing as if she were the only person in the club. She twisted and turned in perfect time with the music in a dance that was incredibly erotic and made Ash ache. She sang along with the song and it looked like every note of the music was coming from her heart and soul.

They danced the rest of the night together, sometimes close up and sometimes across the crowd from each other but Ash's heart swelled as he allowed memory after memory of Phaedryn finally return from the place he'd locked them all away in. He knew there could never be anything between him and Alicia, she was human and he was decidedly not. No, he'd had his time to live and his time to feel alive and that time was long gone. Now he had a responsibility, to protect the humans around him by guiding the Dark Hunters and keeping the Daimons at bay.

As the last song of the night played Alicia said her goodbyes to Andre and waved at a few of her friends and then allowed Ash to walk her out to the front of the club. They paused at the doorway as she slipped her leather jacket back on and he glanced up and down the street at the people going home for the night.

"Can I give you a ride?" Ash asked softly.

She smiled and shook her head no, "I'm just right over here, thanks though." She still wasn't totally sure if she trusted him or not. Granted he hadn't drugged her or tried to slice her into a million pieces yet but you never could be too safe. She motioned around the corner to where there were still several motorcycles parked and he whistled in appreciation as she strode over to a rather powerful racing style bike.

Once she'd started the bike and revved the engine a few times to get the motor warmed up she looked over at him to find that he was watching her. "I suppose you're trying to think of the best 'like to have a lot of whatever between your legs' joke now huh?"

He cocked his head at her, "I hadn't even thought about it, no. Actually I was admiring your taste in bikes and wondering how I could say goodnight and I had a great time, without sounding like I had just hit puberty."

She looked mildly confused and he elaborated for her, "I didn't think just saying goodnight and leaving was polite and I figured if I asked for anything more you'd try to make me a soprano so I was wondering how to go about saying, 'next time I'm in town could we get together again?'"

Alicia considered his question for a moment and wondered if he was too good to be true. "Well that seemed to get the point across. Got something to write with? I'll give you my number."

He smiled at her in the dark, "I'll just ask Tabby. Thank you Alicia, I had a great night."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You're not even going to try to kiss me?"

He raised an eyebrow over the top of his glasses and the smile turned into a smirk, "Nope, don't want to ruin it." And with that he turned and walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

Acheron woke up in his expanse of a bed in Katoteros. The dazzling golden sunshine of the realm tickled his eyes and he blinked against the light. He didn't want to wake up just yet because he'd been in the middle of a wonderful dream that he couldn't quite remember but he knew it was fantastic all the same. Rolling over onto his stomach he tried to let his mind slip back into the warm feeling but he couldn't seem to find it again.

Sighing in frustration he rose from the bed and pulled on a robe and padded out onto the balcony over looking the water below. The golden sunlight glinted off the waves and he chuckled as he spotted the six pterygsauras frolicking in the water. The little dragons were fiercely protective of him but they certainly knew how to enjoy themselves too. Perhaps later in the morning he'd go play with them for a while.

Ash wandered around the palace in Katoteros and thought about what had happened to him the night before. When he'd first seen Alicia Caine he'd mistaken her for Phaedryn, a woman he'd known when he was still human. She was so similar it was startling. She had the same height, the same body, the same features, even the same little mole on her jaw but he knew that it couldn't be Phae. No one knew about Phae now, not even Simi.

So last night he'd gone to where he knew she would be and he'd watched her. He tried to be inconspicuous but he hadn't been concentrating on hiding himself from her, perhaps in the misguided hope that she really was Phaedryn come back to him and that if she saw him she'd recognize him. After all he certainly hadn't changed in all that time. And Alicia had seen him and she'd confronted him as a smart woman of this century would do and then he knew it wasn't Phae. As much as he'd hoped it was her, Alicia was not the woman he remembered.

He'd had a good time with her though, trying to forget all of the worries he held, all of the responsibilities he had to see to. Just for one night he tried to remember what it was like to be normal, to be human. And he had remembered, for one brief moment on the dance floor of the club, watching her sing to the music blaring though the speakers.

"Ash?" the voice of Alexion came from behind him and he turned slowly, not wanting to let go of the feeling he had.

"Yes?"

He returned his mind to the tasks at hand and carried himself through the day with small remembrances of the small touch of joy he'd felt last night. Much later in the span of time that could be called a day in Katoteros he found himself in the throne room slumped in the large golden throne with a feeling that ached in the pit of his stomach. Simi had been following him around for a while asking him what was wrong and he honestly couldn't find an answer for her.

"I just don't know Sim. There's really nothing wrong but there's nothing right either." He chewed on his lip for a while as he pondered this and Simi sat at his feet looking sadly up at him.

"Akri? It pains the Simi to say but do you need to go to the bitch goddess?"

He laughed half heartedly at her concern and the implication of her suggestion, "No Sim, I'm okay. I just need some time to think."

"Does Akri want to talk about it?"

This was a new question for her, "What makes you say that Sim?"

The demon's face brightened instantly and she rose up on her knees in excitement, "Oh Akri! Xirena found this human on television and he helps people. Doctor Phil knows all the answers to help the humans Akri. Is Doctor Phil a god too?"

Acheron burst into laughter at this, which made Simi laugh too, "No Sim, he's just a very smart human. Oh Simi, what would I do without you?"

Simi's laughter stopped immediately and she looked intently at him, "Akri should know better! Simi will never leave Akri. Akri will never be without his Simi."

He smiled at her concern for him and he wrapped her in a hug. "I know you'll never leave me Simi. I know." He stroked her hair and she made contented sounds against his chest. "Okay Sim, I think I want to sit here for a while by myself if you don't mind."

She didn't say anything to that but she stood up and became a vapor that wrapped itself across his bare chest and became the tattoo that showed up on him when she was bound to his flesh. The wings of the dragon matched Simi's and they covered his heart in her version of a hug that lasted constantly and he smiled at her thoughtfulness and love for him.

He wandered out on to the balcony off the throne room and watched the clouds slide across the swirling sky. When he was young and human, before he found out what his life was destined for, he used to walk in the green fields around his home and watch the clouds in the sky. He'd lay for hours simply marveling at the beauty of everything around him and how wondrous life was. He had shared a lot of that joy with Phaedryn and the memory of those times made his heart ache.

Sighing loudly he walked back to the throne and picked up the guitar that sat next to it. He plucked at the strings for a while without actually playing anything. Sometimes when he was at his most pensive he would find himself sitting here playing songs from Atlantis and wondering how he knew them. Other times he would be happy and he would find himself playing more modern tunes, much to the enjoyment of Simi and Alexion. The pterygsauras flew into the room in a roiling cloud of orange wings. They loved it when he played the guitar and several of them perched on the back of the chair and keened their low hum of appreciation.

He smiled at the little dragons and found himself strumming out a tune that they squealed in delight at. For some reason the little beasts had a penchant for Led Zeppelin tunes. He played them a few songs and then shooed them out of the room so he could be alone with his thoughts. He spent a long time strumming the guitar, letting his mind wander. He'd had a very long life worth of memories to pour through but he kept coming back to the very beginning of it all.

After a time, when the light was fading from the sky he realized that he was playing a very specific tune, one that he'd heard in a different form recently and the lyrics to the song filled his mind as he played. _Tragic visions slowly stole my life, Tore away everything, Cheating me out of my time, I'm the one who loves you, No matter wrong or right, And every day I hold you, I hold you with my inner child._

He suddenly dropped the guitar as he felt the resonance of the lyrics and what they truly meant to him. The haunting voice of the singer echoed through his head and his mind flashed from memory to memory of his life as a human. His time with Phaedryn. The brief period of happiness he'd had before tragedy descended up on him and his life changed eternally.


	15. Chapter 15

Jim Gresham sighed in utter frustration, "I'm telling you to get the hell out of here! Alicia, damn it, you can't stay here forever. Your talent is being wasted. Take the damn job and go away!"

She paused in her pacing and looked at the man in front of her. She and Jim had worked together for a long time and she had thought that they would continue working together but now he was pushing her away. The expression on his face reminded her of her father when she told him that Oregon State wasn't the right place for her to be and that she was leaving to go to LSU. He put all of the emotion of watching his baby girl leaving the nest into that one glance and now Jim had the same look.

"But…"

"No! Get out of my building, pack your stuff up and go live your life. Leave the nest little birdie." Suddenly his face softened and he looked like he was trying very hard not to cry.

"Jim?"

"Aw jeez Alicia. You know I don't want you to leave but you've got to face facts, you are too good of a vet to be stuck here on idle. You need to get out there and do what you do best. Go to New Orleans. Take the job. I mean the money itself is utterly ridiculous. If you pass this up I'm going to be so mad at you."

Alicia blinked at him for a moment and tried to figure out what to say. She couldn't come up with anything that didn't seem totally asinine to her so she just walked over to him and gave him a big hug. "You should have kicked me out a long time ago you know."

Jim laughed his great big booming laugh, "Yeah I should have but you know I'm a glutton for punishment."

Two weeks later Alicia cried as she kissed Sophia goodbye and handed the woman the keys to her apartment. She really hated to leave the older woman alone but she'd elicited a promise from the lady downstairs to check in on Sophia as often as she could.

"You take care of yourself Bella and you send me letters telling how you are and all of the wonderful things you've done."

"Oh ava, I will miss you so much."

The old woman chuckled and said, "You will only miss my sauce."

Amanda and Marissa picked Alicia up at the airport when she arrived in New Orleans. She hadn't brought more than one suitcase with her because Amanda had offered the small guest house behind their great big house to her until she found a place of her own. She also volunteered the services of a real estate agent friend of hers and the agent was already looking for available residences near the zoo for Alicia.

Peter Thomas had been ecstatic to hear her accept the offer to come to New Orleans and he promised her that she would be a very welcome addition to the staff. After she spoke with him she also called Carson Whitethunder to let him know that she would eagerly take him up on the offer of an assistant vet position at his practice. He happily told her that he couldn't pay her that much but he would definitely keep her fed and that he'd take her out dancing any time she wanted.

After covering all of the bases with various people about jobs and living arrangements she allowed Amanda to take her out shopping for a vehicle. Kyrian had offered her the use of a car or even the Ducati if she wanted it but Alicia had insisted on having her own vehicle. She had gotten a hefty signing bonus from the zoo so she splurged and got herself a Ducati of her own as well as a demo model Porsche Boxster. Amanda smiled at her friend's ability to get the vehicles she would enjoy and hoped that Alicia would grow to love the city as much as she loved fine machines.

Alicia settled into her life at the zoo with an ease she hadn't expected. If she'd known it would be that easy to get along with other vets and coworkers she wouldn't have hesitated about taking a job like this for so long. She spent a lot of time with the tigers and jaguars and she soon started getting called 'the cat lady" around the zoo.

One afternoon she was sitting on a bench outside the tiger enclosure watching the two brothers play. She was very pleased with their recovery from the chlorine and the increase in the number of visitors each day indicated that the public was pleased too. Watching the awe on the children's faces at the powerful beauty of the big cats made her feel good about her decision to come here. She was musing about how good she felt when a young man sat down on the bench next to her. She wasn't paying him any attention until she realized that he was staring at her.

Turning to face him she saw his smile broaden, "You're the one that fixed them aren't you?"

Alicia wasn't quite sure what he was referring to but when he pointed to the tiger enclosure she knew. "I guess I am."

He grinned at her and reached out to shake her hand, "Thank you. I was worried about them. They're my friends."

She studied the young man for a moment and something clicked in her memory, "You're Wren right?"

He didn't say anything but the smile on his face and the quick nod was enough. He got up and walked over to the railing and waved at the tigers, who stopped playing for a moment to look at him. Apparently he was here enough that they recognized him. Alicia followed him to the railing and grinned along with him at the two cubs antics. "They are beautiful aren't they?" she murmured.

He said nothing and continued watching the cats playing for a while then he waved goodbye to the cats and nodded at Alicia and walked off. She stood there for a while longer watching the cats and marveling at the incredible beauty they possessed when someone else leaned over the railing next to her. She glanced over to find Ash next to her watching the writhing white animals. A wicked smile played over his lips and he turned to face her.

"Ash! What are you doing here?"

His deep chuckle reminded her of the wonderful sound of his laughter and he peered over the top of his glasses, "Looking for you."

"Well, you found me. Wait, how did you find me?"

"Amanda," he leaned over the railing and watched the tigers playing below him. "You hungry?"

She glanced at her watch and realized how late in the day it was. The sun was still up but not for much longer. "Yeah I guess I am. What'd you have in mind?"

He looked her up and down and then smiled, "What I want is not the deciding factor. What do you want? Sky's the limit."

"Hmmm, how do you feel about Creole?"

He gave her a little mock bow, "As I said, whatever you want. But if you want Creole, I know a great place. Shall we?" He held out his arm and she slipped her hand onto it as he guided her towards the exit of the zoo. As they walked they chatted about her position at the zoo and what it was that brought her down here after she'd said that she didn't want to live here.

"I guess it was just time for a change you know?"

He grinned at her and nodded as they reached the parking lot. "I have to apologize, I rode my bike today because the weather was so nice. I should have brought the car but I wasn't actually planning on coming out here, I just…"

She waited for him to finish the thought but nothing happened. "You just?"

He stared at her for a moment, taking in the way the setting sun lit her hair into a blaze. "I just ended up here."

She laughed at his frankness and the sound of her voice made him smile too, "That's okay. I'm glad you ended up here." She walked over to her motorcycle and noted that a large black sport bike was parked next to her red Ducati. "Yours?" she asked pointing. When he nodded she grinned, "Figured as much."


	16. Chapter 16

Alicia followed Ash as he twisted and zoomed through the streets of the city on the way to wherever he was taking her. They finally came to a stop in a darkened parking lot behind a row of shops and restaurants somewhere in the Quarter but Alicia wasn't sure where. Ash left his helmet strapped to his bike so she did the same and they walked down a narrow alley between buildings to emerge on a busy street.

Alicia stopped for a moment and sniffed the air, "Mmmmm. God but this town smells good!"

Ash laughed at that and wondered if she had any idea how badly the place had smelled a short while ago after Katrina had ravaged the streets. "C'mon, it's right over here," he took her elbow and guided her down the busy street.

The meandered up the street as Alicia looked around, sometimes stopping to peer into shop windows and other times just enjoying Ash's company. The finally came up to a small restaurant front with a fenced off patio full of tiny lights and colorful umbrellas. There was a short walkway up to the entrance and several couples waiting their turn for a table.

"I'll get us a table," Ash said as he left Alicia looking into the window of the shop next door.

She was enthralled by the various crystal pendants and Tiffany style lamps inside in every color of the rainbow. She had just spotted a tiny crystal tiger with hand painted black stripes on it when she heard someone call Ash's name. Thinking it was their table being called she turned to find Ash striding over to a very handsome man with long wavy brown hair and a killer body. The man was obviously a friend of Ash's because they shook hands and laughed at something she couldn't hear. Then they turned towards her and Ash motioned her over.

"Alicia Caine I'd like you to meet Vane Kattalakis."

The man reached out a hand to shake hers but she was surprised by the name, "Kattalakis? Like Bride Kattalakis?"

The man nodded and looked puzzled, "Yes, she's my wife. Do you know her?"

Alicia took a moment to collect her thoughts and the answer to where she knew Bride's name from snapped into her mind, "Oh! You're Fury's owner right?" Vane nodded slowly.

Just then Bride waked up behind Vane and put her arm around his waist. She glanced over at Ash and nodded then glanced over to find Alicia and her expression melted into a happy smile. "Alicia, good to see you again. Vane honey, this is the lady that put Fury back together after his little scuffle."

Vane's eyes widened and he reached for Alicia's hand. "Well, then I owe you a debt of gratitude."

She was shocked when he bent and kissed her hand softly like gentlemen of the old days did. He lingered for a moment and then his eyes opened widely and he looked up at her face as if he would find someone else entirely. When she didn't react to it he looked at Ash and asked an unspoken question. Ash was completely unaware of what was happening or if he saw it all from behind those dark glasses of his he made no indication of it.

"Nonsense, I'm just glad I could help out. How is he doing by the way?"

Bride laughed and said, "Like a puppy again."

Vane was still curious about this mysterious woman that Ash was with so he cleared his throat softly and asked, "Would you two care to join us?"

Ash said nothing so Alicia spoke up, "Oh I wouldn't want to intrude on your meal."

"Please? I would be honored if you would join us," Vane said in his delightfully deep voice.

Alicia relented when she realized that Ash wasn't going to say anything either way, and they all sat at a large round table near the center of the restaurant. Vane ordered a bottle of wine to go with the meal and Bride chatted with Alicia about the wonderful food the chef prepared. They toasted friendship and sipped at their wine after they ordered and Bride and Vane both asked several questions to Alicia about her background and her move to New Orleans.

Before the meal arrived Bride excused herself to freshen up and Alicia went with her as women tend to do. Once they were out of ear shot Vane turned to Ash and looked very concerned. "Who is she?"

Ash looked totally unfazed by Vane's question, "She's a friend."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. _What_ is she?"


	17. Chapter 17

The Atlantean tilted his head a bit so Vane could see his swirling silver eyes. He leaned over conspiratorially and whispered, "She's a vet. 

Vane rolled his eyes in disgust. Sometimes talking to Ash was like talking to a two year old. Or, even worse, like talking to Fang when he was in the mood to be infuriating. "That's not what I meant."

"And what did you mean Vane?"

"I mean she's not human, what is she?"

Ash sipped at his glass of water, "I assure you Vane she is very much human."

Vane wouldn't be deterred quite so easily, "She may be human but there's something more to her isn't there?"

"Not that I'm aware of." He looked over the top of his glasses again and Vane nearly shivered from the look in his eyes. "And as you know, I am aware of a lot of things. 

Vane had the good sense to end his questioning there. "Just be careful Ash."

This comment brought a deep chuckle from Ash, "After all this time don't you think I know what I'm doing?"

When the women returned to the table they all enjoyed a delicious meal of various Cajun and Creole delights all of which made Alicia exceptionally happy. Once the meal was over the two couples went their separate ways after Bride promised to come out and visit Alicia at the zoo if Alicia would come visit Bride's shop.

As they walked down the still crowded street Ash asked Alicia if she'd be interested in taking a stroll around the square. She was feeling rather full from the meal so she said yes and they headed off in the direction of the river. They chatted as they walked about silly things and years gone by when Alicia suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"You know it just occurred to me that I don't even know your name."

"Yes you do, it's Ash."

She batted his arm in mock anger, "That's not what I mean. Ash what? Smith? Jones? _Please_ don't tell me it's Manson."

He laughed deeply at that, "No, not Manson." Then he bowed deeply from the waist and took her hand, much like Vane had done earlier. "Acheron Parthenopaeus at your service."

"Wow, that's a mouthful, no wonder you just use Ash. So what is that, Greek?"

He shook his head, "No, not Greek. Close though."

"Cyprus?"

"No, right area though. It's a really tiny island in the Mediterranean."

She planted her hands on her hips and looked exasperated, "Well you have to give me some help here. I'm not so good with geography."

"You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that can find where I'm from on a map these days. So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where are you from? What is the story of your life?"

She thought about his question and realized there wasn't really a whole lot to tell. "It's pretty boring really. Born and raised in Oregon, left home to go to school and now here I am."

He stopped and cocked his head at her, "That's it?"

She shrugged which made him laugh again. She loved to hear that deep hearty laugh of his that came from way deep down in his chest. "Told ya it was boring."

"Huh. Well let's liven it up a little shall we?" He pointed at the doorway down the block from them, one she'd seen before because it was the club that Tabby had taken her to dance at. She nodded enthusiastically and they strode down the street and into the main door of the Dungeon. They were waved in by the bouncer who apparently knew Ash and once inside they were assaulted by the thumping music and the inordinately hot air inside.

Ash led her around the dance floor to a small bank of tables where he slid onto a stool and took his jacket off. Underneath it he had an artfully ripped t-shirt with a large red dragon on it. Alicia took her jacket off too and marveled at the serious amount of muscles on Ash's body. She'd never really noticed just how ripped he was before now but something about seeing him in the oddly flashing lights of the club drew her attention to the fact. He leaned over and yelled into her ear, "Do you want to dance?"

She didn't waste her breath and nodded at him. So they danced their way into the crowd and once more enjoyed themselves as they moved to the thumping rhythm of the music.

They danced for what felt like the rest of the night but turned out to be only a few hours when they both decided they'd had enough of the hot air in the club. They grabbed their jackets and wandered back out into the now cool night. Alicia shivered slightly after the hot air in the club and slipped her jacket on.

Ash looked at her as if waiting to see if she would offer any ideas about what she wanted to do next so she shrugged and said, "I guess I'd better be getting home, I have to work tomorrow."

He nodded and walked her back to where their motorcycles were parked and she was surprised that their helmets were still there. She'd heard so many stories about the crime rate in New Orleans that she wouldn't have been in the least surprised if they were gone but apparently certain lots were safe to leave your things in. They started up their bikes and Ash looked up into the sky as if waiting for a sign from above.

"Let me see that you get home safely okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"Please?"

Something about the way he said it made her reconsider his offer and she nodded at him and they rode off into the night.


	18. Chapter 18

Alicia lead the way into the driveway of Amanda and Kyrian's house thinking that Ash would probably just keep on going but for some reason he followed her through the gate. Maybe he was going to visit with the Hunters while he was here. Whatever his reasoning she drove her bike down the driveway to the small path that lead back to the garage and guest house and she was surprised to find Ash following her.

Something about his persistence made her slightly uneasy but there had to be an explanation for it. She pulled her bike to a halt next to the Boxster and turned the engine off. Ash had pulled his bike up next to hers and she figured that he was just making sure that she got all the way inside, then he'd leave but he turned his bike off too.

She glanced over at him in question and he smiled and said, "Just making sure you get in okay."

"Okay, well then let me get on in." she smiled back but she was still on the defensive in case something went wrong. Tabby had said that she could trust Ash with her life but sometimes people turned out to be not at all what you thought they were. She walked over to the front door of the bungalow and put her key into the lock. Once she'd opened the door she turned around to say goodnight to Ash and found him standing right behind her. "Oh, um…"

He looked down at her and brushed a strand of hair over her shoulder, still marveling at how much she resembled Phaedryn. So much that it made him ache. He really shouldn't be letting her get this close to him but he simply couldn't help it. After eleven thousand years of solitude he wanted to reclaim a part of his heart from the abyss.

"Ash?" She looked up at his incredibly handsome face in the moonlight and wondered what would happen if she let what she wanted so desperately to happen actually happen. "What do you want from me?" she whispered.

His face softened and he touched her cheek gently, tracing the line of her jaw back to her hairline. When he'd cupped her face in his hand he reached up and took his glasses off with the other hand, allowing her to see the swirling quicksilver of his eyes. She didn't gasp or startle at all so he spoke the word that had been in his heart and mind ever since he met her, "Serenity."

She stared at his incredible eyes and felt a pang in her heart like she knew something like those eyes before. She could feel his gaze boring into her soul and it was not at all an unpleasant feeling. Suddenly all the piece of the puzzle of her life that had been missing for so long fell into place and she felt as if her soul exploded inside of her, flaring like the sun because of Ash's presence and his touch.

He felt the pull of the soul inside of her as well and he leaned over her and covered her lips softly with his own. When she didn't fight the kiss he deepened it until soon they were devouring each other as if their very lives depended on it. They backed their way into the bungalow, desperately kissing each other, wanting, no, _needing_ to be together. Ash didn't hesitate to make their clothing vanish in to thin air and he lifted her glorious body up onto his own. He plunged into her as if she could quench the fire that consumed him and she cried out in utter ecstasy. They melded together furiously, desperately, violently until the universe exploded in both of them.

Ash felt an irrational need to claim her completely and the desire to feed at her neck was so overwhelming he couldn't help but pierce her delicate skin with his fangs. The sharp pain blended with the crescendo of the ecstasy they were engulfed in and they both screamed with the force of it. His lips covered the small wound of her neck and the sweet lifeblood that dripped into his mouth was like nothing he'd ever experienced. If made his blood boil like nothing ever before had and in a moment he was sated and floating on a cloud of utter bliss.

He came back to himself a few minutes later, still tangled together with her. They'd ended up on her bed somehow and she lay on his chest still trying to remember how to breathe. He twined his fingers in her hair and raised her face to his, kissing her tenderly, knowing now that she was the same soul as Phaedryn, somehow miraculously returned to him after so much time. It made no sense to him but he certainly wasn't going to question it.

Phaedryn had been the one person in eleven thousand years that he truly loved and he had given his heart and soul to her only to have her ripped away from him. She had been a farmer's daughter on Atlantis and he had met her one day by chance and fallen madly in love with her. Of course he was forbidden from seeing her, he the son of a king shouldn't interact with commoners, but he went to her every chance he had. They had promised their love to each other and he cherished her more than life itself. Then she had been taken from him, suddenly, violently and he swore that he would never love anyone again.

When his life changed and he found out what he really was he still held her in his heart. She was the only thing that kept him going through the many years of torture and degradation. Her face in his memory was the light that shone in the darkness for him, the only hope that he could cling to in a world that was chaotic and sadistic beyond all reason.

He clung to her memory for years, hoping against hope that Fate would return her to him but it never did. She was gone forever from the world. When he died she was the last thought in his mind, the knowledge that he would go to a place where he could be with her again died with him. But it wasn't to be. Fate dealt him yet another cruel hand and he was returned to a semblance of existence as the first Dark Hunter.

She stirred on his chest and looked up at him with heavily lidded eyes. "Satiros…" she breathed.

His eyes flew open and his heart raced. She had spoken the Atlantean name that she had graced him with so long ago meaning 'one with my heart'. "What did you say?"

She looked at him confused, she had no recollection of how she knew that word, only that it meant how she felt about him. "It just felt right to say that," she whispered.

"Say it again Sati. Say it to me again."

She rolled the word through her mind and delighted in the joy the word meant to her, "Satiros. What does it mean?"

He smiled at her and stroked her cheek, "It means 'one with my heart'."

Thinking about that for a moment she asked, "Isn't that what you called me that night in the alley?"

Pleased that she remembered it he nodded, "I called you Sati. It's a shortened version of Satira or Satiros. It means 'my heart'."

Now she looked puzzled, "How do I know that word?"

"I don't know." He honestly didn't know how it could be that she was Phaedryn but he didn't care. She had come back to him and nothing would ever take her away again. He hugged her to his chest and kissed her forehead like he used to so long ago. Holding her tightly and basking in the warmth of her soft skin made him stir to life again and he felt his desire building rapidly.

He rolled her over onto the bed and looked down at her from under the screen of his dark hair. He hadn't been this happy in several thousand years and he wanted nothing more than to have this moment last forever. She traced a pattern on his chest and lost herself in the depths of the maelstrom of his eyes. This felt so right, so perfect that she didn't want anything to ever come between them. He slid between her legs and into the depths of her bringing a gasp to her lips as she fell back into the delirious bliss he gave her. They made love over and over, each time more incredible than the last until they both fell into the blackness of exhaustion tangled together on the bed.

Once they had slipped into the deep sleep of their sated states a dark figure appeared in the room near the end of the bed. It coalesced into a man and he smiled down on the sleeping lovers. "Soon little sister," he whispered. "Soon it will be time to wake up."


	19. Chapter 19

Alicia dreamed of brilliant green fields stretched out before her all the way to the bluest sea she'd ever imagined. She could feel the warm sun on her skin and the breeze in her hair. All around her birds chirped and butterflies frolicked in the gentle wind. She had no idea where she was but the feeling of peace was so incredible she wanted it to last forever. Her bare feet danced over the dirt path she was on and they carried her towards something that made her heart leap in her chest.

Coming over the top of hill she saw a small copse of trees deeply in bloom and the sweet scent of the blossoms made her smile. She skipped towards the trees and the surprise she knew they hid and when she reached the edge of the copse she could feel the bark under her hands as she looked for the secret the trees concealed.

Peering around the trees she whispered in a language she'd never heard before but knew intrinsically. Shadows danced in front of her as she wandered deeper into the copse of trees. Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her waist and pulled her sharply backwards. She didn't take fright but instead she giggled and playfully fought the boy that had grabbed her. She kicked and wriggled like one of the puppies her father raised in the shed until she faced him, the one she loved, the one she was forbidden from loving.

The shadows and light danced across his deep blonde hair and he laughed as he pulled her close to his chest, wrapping her in the love that swelled in his heart. A beam of sunlight pierced the trees and turned her hair to fire, brilliant and shining like blood rubies. "I will always love you," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her.

Ash floated in a darkness so thick that nothing could pierce it. Pain assaulted his arms as he struggled against the shackles that held him there. The chains clanked in the dark reminding him of the horror that his life had become. Estes had imprisoned him and beaten him mercilessly time and time again for whatever crimes he could invent. However Acheron knew that he had done nothing wrong. He had done nothing to deserve this.

A voice whispered to him in the dark, deep and melodic it told him of great things that would come to him, powers unlike any imagined, wisdom to right the wrongs of the universe. All he had to do was wait.

Alicia found herself in a long hallway that stretched out to the horizon. There didn't seem to be an end to it but she felt compelled to move forward though it. The ceiling was lost high above her and the walls were beautifully gilt and encrusted with precious jewels. The floor was mosaic tile that had incredibly detailed pictures of everything imaginable. She padded forward in bare feet, the cool tiles tickling her toes. A gauzy dress flowed around her legs and she wondered where she was.

"Hello?" she called, her voice barely a whisper in the expanse of the hallway. "Is anyone there?"

"_Phaedryn…_" the whispered voice seemed to come from everywhere around her.

The sound of the name echoed and grew louder until it hurt her ears. She cowered against the crushing weight of the sound and hid her face in her hands.

Suddenly it was silent again and she blinked as she opened her eyes and found herself in a circular room with a massive table in the center of it. Scores of chairs were around the table and there was a chandelier hanging above the center of it that was the size of a small car. Brilliant rays of light shot out from the chandelier as bright as the sun and she had to close her eyes from the strength of it.

Spinning around she saw that the room was edged in hundreds of doorways. Every one an arch flanked in delicate marble columns. Vines of ivy crept up around some of them while others remained pristine. The beauty of the room was overwhelming and she tried to memorize every detail of it but simply couldn't.

"Phaedryn?" a deep masculine voice came from across the room and she looked up to find a tall man in a long black robe entering the room. He walked slowly around the table until he faced her and smiled. "Welcome home little sister."

She couldn't manage to form words in her mind to ask him who he was and what this place was. It was all confusion and chaos in her head, voices and images swirling around like a tornado.

He smiled at her and tilted his head to one side as if he were listening to the chaos in her head. "Let me make it make sense," he said and he brushed his hand over her face from her forehead down to her chin and all of the chaos vanished.

Suddenly she knew everything. All of what had happened in eleven thousand years. Every single second of it was all right there in her mind in perfect order. "Savitar?" He nodded at her and she knew who and what he was. "Is it real this time?"

"Yes, it's all real this time. Your purpose is now."

She nodded and walked around the table, trailing her finger along the edge of it she whirled to face him. "Does he know?"

Savitar motioned for her to follow him and he led her out of the room to a vast beach with the softest whitest sand she'd ever seen. She knew she was in Neratiti, Savitar's private realm and she laughed as the breeze lifted her hair. She turned to look at him and the long black robe was gone, replaced with a pair of board shorts and sunglasses. He wandered past her and sat on the sand at the water's edge, allowing the waves to lap at his toes.

She lowered herself to the sand beside him and he slung an arm around her shoulders pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad to have you here for real this time. It's been too long."

She kissed him on his cheek and waved a finger at him, "You're not answering my question. Does he know?"

Savitar shrugged and leaned back on the sand. "Some of it. He knows who you are. He doesn't know the reason for it all or how she stole your life."

"Mmmm. Will you tell him or is he going to have to figure it out on his own?"

"Oh little sister, you do know how to cause a dilemma don't you?" He looked over at her and watched the wind make her fiery hair dance on her shoulders. So much had happened already and so much more had to be exactly right for this to work. "If you tell him they'll know and she'll come and destroy you again. There is not another chance at this. Ever."

She nodded slowly, watching the waves wash up on the beach. "So I can't say anything can I?"

"I'm afraid not."

The implication of eleven thousand years of waiting weighed heavy on her shoulders but the love that she felt for Acheron would carry her through anything. "Very well. Can I go back now?"

"Of course," he stood up and helped her to her feet. "Be safe little sister. I can watch but you know I can't do anything."

"I know. Thank you brother." She kissed him on his cheek and closed her eyes as she was whisked back into her mortal body.


	20. Chapter 20

She woke up in the morning to find Acheron gone from her bed. She hadn't expected him to be there so she wasn't upset by his absence. She lay under the sheets stretching and easing the taut muscles of her back and legs. He had given her quite a work out and she smiled at the memory of it and the warm feeling in the pit of her belly.

Rolling over to the other side of the bed she smelled him on the pillow, a crisp masculine scent that hinted of leather and power and sensuality. Smiling at that, she discovered a small box on the table next to the bed. It was simply wrapped in gold foil with a deep red velvet ribbon. She had no idea what it was so she lifted it up and held it in her lap for a few moments trying to imagine his hands on the gift box, placing it gently on the table for her to find.

She carefully unwrapped it and dug through the tissue inside to find the crystal tiger she'd seen in the window of the shop near the restaurant last night. How had he known to buy it for her? She hadn't said anything to him about it but perhaps he'd seen it too and reasoned out that she would like it.

Placing the figurine on the shelf next to a photo of her family she padded to the shower and got ready for her day.

A few days later Alicia was sitting at a table in Sanctuary with Carson eating lunch. He'd promised to keep her fed and he'd most certainly delivered on that promise. She was halfway through a huge bowl of gumbo when the jukebox got cranked up and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama blasted out of the speakers. Carson visibly cringed and several of the people around the table jumped up and began heading for the doors.

"What's going on?" Alicia asked.

Caron peered over the railing and looked down on the main part of the floor below, "Oh nothing you need to worry about."

Thinking it may be a joke she slapped his arm, "Okay so tell me what the deal is."

Carson wiped his lips with his napkin and pushed his empty bowl away. "Seriously, it's nothing important. They play that song every time this particular person comes into the bar."

Alicia nodded at his explanation but still wasn't satisfied, "So why is everyone leaving?"

He couldn't help but laugh at her persistence, "Well he's not the nicest person around and a lot of people would rather not run into him. It's like a warning for anyone that wants to avoid him."

"Ah I see. Strange people in these parts you know?"

He laughed again and leaned back in his chair as he waited for the rest for their meal to arrive. Aimee had been gone for a while and he was starving so he hoped that she would hurry. He was reaching for his beer when he saw Aimee's pretty blonde head coming up the stairs. "Bout time you came back kid, I was about to keel over from hunger here."

Aimee giggled at his reference to her as 'kid' and she ruffled his hair. "Shouldn't you be working or something old man?"

"I should be but the lady needs to eat you know." He answered as he indicated Alicia. "Besides I can't work anymore today, I've had alcohol." He raised the beer bottle to her as she placed the laden plates on the table. Aimee glared at him and took the empty bowls away.

"Dig in," Carson said as he sipped at the fresh beer in his hand.

Alicia was just about to do so when she heard heavy boots clomping up the stair in their direction. A head of black hair with brilliant green streaks in it crested the top of the stairs and her heart jumped to her throat.

Carson tried very hard to be invisible so that Ash wouldn't see him but it failed miserably. He was pretty sure that Ash was here to talk to him about his exceptionally rude treatment of Janice when she was banged up a few weeks back. He hadn't intended on being that short with her but she had started it so it seemed like the thing to do.

"Carson," the deep voice rumbled from behind him.

Carson couldn't think of a thing to say in his defense so he figured he'd just take Ash's chewing out like a man. However, when he turned around to look up at the leader of the Dark-Hunters he found Ash's attention was not on him at all but rather on Alicia. "Hey Ash," he said feebly as he tried to figure out what the connection between his new partner and Ash was.

"Hi Ash, how ya doin?" Alicia asked as she sipped at her beer.

"Fine, can I speak with you alone for a moment?"

Alicia looked over at Carson who was trying to decide if there was any place he could be right now other than here. When he made a shooing motion with his hands and resumed eating his burger she sighed and rose from the table. Ash led her to a small back hallway behind the upstairs portion of the bar. She walked in front of him and his hand strayed to the small of her back, which made her shiver as she remembered the way he'd made love to her. Once he directed her down the short hallway to a small storage room and shut the door behind them she started pacing. She wasn't sure what he was going to say and it worried her.

Ash watched her pace for a moment while he collected his thoughts and tried not to will her into his arms again. Finally, he cleared his throat and said softly, "I'm sorry I skipped out on you the other night. Something serious came up and I needed to see to it right away."

She stopped pacing and looked at him, "Its okay."

He looked slightly dumbfounded, "What?"

"I said its okay. I wasn't expecting you to be there in the morning anyway."

His jaw dropped in a way that was not only comical but also damn cute. "You weren't?"

Not quite sure how much of who and what she really was he knew she decided it would be best to not say anything. She stepped over to him and reached up to cup his jaw in her hand, "I wasn't. But thank you for thinking about me." 

His face softened and he put his hands on her hips drawing her a little closer to him, "Sati. I…"

"Shhh. I understand."

Then he couldn't take it anymore and he kissed her deeply and passionately, pressing the line of her body against his so that she could feel just how eager he was to be near her again. She pressed back just as desperately and allowed him to take from her all of the passion that she'd had building up for the past few days. When he finally pulled back from her she looked at his face and imagined she could see his eyes behind the dark glasses. This was the face she'd been haunted by for eleven thousand years and now that she could be right in front of him, pressed against him she couldn't stand to let him go.

"Satiros, I've waited for you for so long," she whispered in flawless Atlantean.


	21. Chapter 21

He couldn't believe what he had just heard. She had spoken in his native language. A language that only a handful of people even knew existed much less could speak. For her to know what those words imparted could mean only one thing. "Phaedryn? Is it truly you?" he asked, also in Atlantean.

"Yes Acheron, it is me."

"How…? This can't be real. I dreamed it was you but…"

She laid a comforting hand on his arm, "It's really me Acheron," Still finding the Atlantean language difficult to use in this body that didn't know its intricacies was nearly painful so she reverted to English. "I'm really Phaedryn. Or rather I was."

"You were? I don't understand."

"Now is not the time and here is not the place. I'll tell you everything but not here."

He nodded, still trying to absorb what she'd just told him. She was turning to leave the storeroom when he stopped her with a hand on her elbow. She turned and he pulled her to him, kissing her deeply as he winked them both out of the storeroom and into her bungalow. When he let her go she glanced around at where she was and grinned at him wickedly then she threw herself at him and covered him with kisses.

He once more flashed their clothes off and buried himself in her waiting warmth as deeply as he could. She accepted him entirely and cried out over and over at the joy she felt and the incredible waves of pleasure that were cascading over her body. He growled in ecstasy as he found his release and was surprised to find that he'd bitten her neck again, this time on the other side but her blood pooled in his mouth like the most rare nectar and he savored the incredible feeling of wholeness it gave him.

He healed the tiny wound in her flesh and looked into her eyes to see the spark of life that he remembered so very well. "Phae, it's too good to be true. Tell me how you got here."

"Not here, not on this plane." She closed her eyes and thought for a moment and then looked back at him. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," he whispered.

Suddenly his clothes were back on and she wore a gauzy white dress and there was a noise behind him. He turned quickly, ready to defend her from anything that came at him but found only a face that he knew all too well. "Sav?"

Another blinding flash of light transported them to Neratiti and into the large domed room with the massive table at its center. Acheron started to lunge for Alicia to protect her but Savitar stepped in front of him and opened his arms to her.

She walked into his hug and he kissed her gently on the cheek. "Will you do something for me?" Savitar asked her.

"Anything."

He whispered something in her ear and she smiled and left his hug and walked to Ash. Still trying to figure out what the hell was going on he looked terribly confused and she could see the turmoil in his eyes because somehow Savitar had left his sunglasses behind in New Orleans.

She stopped in front of Ash and slid a hand around his waist. "Trust me, you want to hear him out. I love you." She tilted up on her toes and kissed him softly and then padded out of the room towards the beach.

Acheron stared after her in confusion and then looked to Savitar for an explanation. "What the hell is going on Sav?"

Savitar laughed heartily and faced the other man looking him up and down as if the answer to life's mysteries would be written on his flesh. "I really don't know what she sees in you but who am I to question? You want a drink?"

A wave of anger washed over Ash's face like a storm cloud and his eyes swirled fiercely, "I want answers not a drink. Tell me what's going on. Now."

Savitar held up his hands in defense, "Whoa there brother, calm down. Sit." He said indicating the chairs around the table. He pulled one out himself and draped himself across it. When Ash had seated himself a few chairs over Savitar cleared his throat and seemed to collect his thoughts. "Oh where to start, where to start."

"Perhaps you can tell me what the hell the only woman I've ever loved is doing inhabiting the body of a woman I've just met."

Savitar nodded, "Yeah, that's a good place to start. Well you see, Phaedryn or Alicia or whatever you feel like calling her at the moment is kind of special. And I'm not just talking about the fact that she's smoking hot but like she has a purpose." He paused for a moment and a bucket full of ice and beer appeared in front of him. "Ya want one?" he offered. When Ash shook his head no Savitar shrugged then opened one of the beers and took a swig. "Where was I? Oh yeah, Phae. Well a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…wait, wrong story." He glanced over at Ash who looked anything but amused. "Yeah, so way back when Atlantis was the height of civilization and a certain Goddess who went by the nickname 'the Destroyer' decided to wipe out a huge chunk of the population just because she was feeling a bit PMS-y certain measures were taken to ensure that she couldn't wipe out all of humanity."

Ash looked blankly at the man/god/being he thought he'd known and tried to figure out what the point was. Coming up with nothing he made a 'go on' motion with his hand.

Savitar suddenly got very serious, "Okay so the powers that be decided that it wasn't a good thing if she destroyed humanity. They kinda enjoyed the antics of the humans and they wanted to protect the little buggers. Well, locking her away wasn't quite enough, she still managed to cause some pretty serious devastation. So, knowing the potential for chaos Apollymi's son held, remember he's the key to that destruction thingy, they wiped the knowledge of that potential from his mind. Unfortunately the bitch still knew about it so they had to try something else. They sent him a reason to keep living." Savitar looked at Ash and wondered how much of this he was following. The Atlantean gave no clue to him so he went on. "They sent him a reason, in the form of a woman, that he fell madly in love with. The powers felt that if he could find love it would win out over the hatred and destruction."

"Good plan, did it work?"

"Sort of. He found the woman, fell in love with her and everything was looking like sunshine and puppy dogs until Apollymi found out about it."

Ash rolled his eyes a little and rubbed his chin in the classical motion of thinking things through. "So things went down hill pretty fast I take it."

"Yeah, you could say that. Apollymi just messed with them at first, made the girl's father forbid her from seeing her lover anymore. When that didn't work she pushed the boy away by having a relative take him away for a while. But he found his way back to her. Then Apollymi found out something else about the girl, something that would keep her locked away in Kolasis forever and, well she killed the girl."

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose like a massive headache was coming on and then he got up suddenly and started pacing the room. Savitar watched him, waiting for the inevitable revelation. "Phaedryn right?" Ash spat.

Savitar nodded slowly, "Phaedryn."

"Damn it Savitar, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me she was still alive?"

Savitar rose from his seat and started out to the balcony that overlooked the ocean. Ash followed him and they both leaned on the marble railing. "Well she wasn't alive so I couldn't tell you. Let me rephrase that, she wasn't alive most of the time."

Ash looked terribly confused by that. "I think you may be spending too much time in the sun Sav because despite your normally cryptic nature you're really not making any sense now."

Savitar laughed and said, "Well it's true, she wasn't alive most of the time. She's been reincarnated a whole lot of times but for the most part she's been nothing more than a soul floating around waiting. She's been here driving me nuts for the majority of the time but every once in a while things would line up again and I'd have the chance to ship her off to a new life in the hopes that she's finally fulfill her original purpose. It never worked, until now."

"All right, I'm ready, tell me the whole thing." Ash pushed himself up onto the marble and leaned on his knees, settling in for the long story he knew was coming.

"Fine," Savitar sat next to him and looked wistfully out at the beach. "First of all she's not just anyone, she's my sister."

"What?"

"Yeah, she's my baby sister. Couldn't you tell by her looks?" Ash snorted in amusement. Alicia looked absolutely nothing like Savitar. "Actually she's not really my sister as you would consider it by definition. She is however, a part of me, and she came from the same place I did so I guess that counts. Anyway, sister is the best way I have to describe what she is. So keep that in mind while you're violating her will ya?"

"You are absolutely insane you know that?"

Savitar chuckled, "You're not the first person that's said that. Anyway, she's kind of special, but you knew that already. She was created to counteract Apollymi's possible destruction of the human race. Her purpose is to create the antithesis to the Destroyer."

"Create how?"

Savitar rolled his eyes, "You're really dense sometimes you know. How do you think a woman would create something?"

"Uh….Oh! Got it."

"Yeah, you did, in fact, get it. And she, in fact, got it and the end result was that little escape clause for humanity. Unfortunately Apollymi got wind of the plan and she killed Phaedryn."

Acheron's head flew up and he glared at Savitar. He'd known that Phaedryn had been murdered but he never until now knew who had been responsible. The anger of this revelation showed in the viscous swirling of his quicksilver eyes.

"Calm down Ash, that's not the end of the story." Savitar paused and let the other man calm his boiling emotions. Once Ash's jaw had unclenched enough that it looked like it wouldn't shatter he went on. "Well I wasn't gonna let my little sister go without a fight so I pulled her soul here where the bitch couldn't get to her. Believe me, I for one want that escape clause to come into being. I kinda like humans and I'm not going to let them just poof out of existence because the bitch breaks a nail. So I tried to make the plan work again a few years later. I put Phaedryn's soul into a new host and hoped that she'd hook up with you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. C'mon man, I know you knew that Apollymi was your mom. You don't play dumb very well." 

"Yeah I had a pretty good idea of it but…well never mind it's a question for another time. So she never found me did she?"

"No, unfortunately fate wasn't smiling on you two. Not for a very long time. But guess what pal, you just won the fate lottery. She's back, you're back and the time is right. So as much as it pains me to say this, you need to sleep with my sister." Savitar curled his lip up and shivered a little.

"Won't work. I'm sterile remember?"

Savitar took a deep breath, "Not entirely."

"What do you mean 'not entirely'?"

"Okay, try to keep up with me here. You were human and you could do everything humans could do including reproduce. When the bitch found out about our little plan she took away the key to that reproduction, Phaedryn. Well somehow she figured out that I'd saved Phae's soul and she decided to try something a bit more drastic. She had you killed. Well you obviously didn't die, at least not for too long, and she had to do something else. So all this time she's been screwing with Phae and making her never find you."

"That still doesn't solve the sterility problem."

"Oh but it does. You're only sterile because you don't have a soul."

Ash huffed in exasperation. "I don't get it."

"All you need to do to reproduce and fulfill the destiny that I, and the human race would like you to opt for is to get your soul back. Then wham bam thank you ma'am, problem solved."

"So where's my soul? Doesn't Artemis have it? Cause if that's the case you're screwed pal. She's not about to give that up."

Savitar grinned a wicked grin that made Ash almost scared. He'd seen that look before but only on the face of a Charonte demon who was about to dig into something exceptionally tasty. Usually in Ash's world, that grin meant a massive amount of chaos was about to follow.

"Have no fear my friend, I took care of that little issue too. I can't explain to you what happened to your soul, even I can't figure the blasted thing out but suffice to say, it's in a very safe place that not even Artemis can get to. And it's not going to be hard to get back at all. In fact, you're really going to enjoy it."

"Okay, I'm waiting for the catch."

"You just knew there was one didn't you?"

"There's always a catch Sav. Always."

"Right, so the catch it that you can't breathe a word of this outside of here. You can't even think about it. If Apollymi gets even an inkling of what's lining up she'll do whatever it takes to screw it up again. And there's not going to be another chance to fix it. Phae's soul has reached the end of its 'shelf life' if you will. I can't pull her out again and try over. Once she dies this time it's for good."

"Let me get this straight, I have to figure out how to get my soul back, get it back, impregnate your sister and not let Apollymi or any of her peons find out about. Yeah Sav, no problems, want me to pick up a pizza while I'm at it?"

"Hmmm pizza." Savitar shook his head to dispel the idea of a fresh hot pizza. "It's not going to be as hard as you think. Trust me on that. Just keep doing what you're doing. Don't let anyone know that Alicia is the reincarnation of your long lost Atlantean lover and everything should fall into place. Oh, and don't let Phae die before she has a chance to birth that escape clause."


	22. Chapter 22

Alicia walked out of the meeting room and down to the beach. Savitar had asked her to help him out by finding Nick Gautier on the beach and trying to talk some sense into him. She knew what was going on because when he'd whispered in her ear he also gave her all of the information she'd need about Nick. Savitar had taken Nick in at Acheron's request after he'd been returned to a slightly more sane state of mind.

She knew about what had happened to Nick and she knew that he was mainly unaware of what was going on outside of this realm. Savitar had been trying to talk some sense into the boy for a while now and it wasn't working. Probably because Nick looked at Savitar as one of Ash's cronies and therefore felt that he just couldn't be trusted.

She went the long way around the back of the meeting room and cut across the rolling sand dunes so that she would come up on Nick from the opposite direction than he'd gone out to the beach. He'd told Savitar that he was going to go out and surf alone for a while to think things through. Of course Savitar knew that meant that Nick just wanted to sit and brood all day.

She walked along as if she were simply out enjoying a nice walk on the beach when she spotted his form sitting on the beach staring out into nothing. Not wanting to startle him or make him think she meant any harm she meandered her way towards him, giving him plenty of time to see her coming. "Hey there!" she called and waved.

He glanced over at her and made a halfhearted wave back, not quite sure what to make of the strange woman in the gauzy dress that was coming towards him. He'd never seen anyone in Neratiti other than Savitar and the occasional were-hunter but they never left the meeting hall. "Uh, Hi?"

"Lovely day isn't it?" she said as she walked up the beach towards him.

"Sure, I suppose. Of course it's like this all the time."

"True, but it's still lovely. I'm Alicia by the way." She held out her hand and smiled warmly.

"Nick," he grumbled and didn't bother to return the handshake.

"Oh, so _you're_ Nick. I was wondering if I was going to meet you. Sav's told me nothing but nice stuff about you."

"I'm sorry who are you?"

"I'm Alicia. I'm…well I guess you can say I'm a friend of the family. Mind if I sit?"

"Huh? No, go ahead."

"Cool thanks, it's a long walk around this place you know? So whatchya thinking about?"

He looked at her as if she'd just asked if his hair was on fire. "What?"

"I said what are you thinking about? You look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and you're staring off into space so you must be thinking about something pretty deep. I was just curious."

He picked up a stray piece of driftwood and started playing with it, "It's nothing really. Well, it's everything but nothing you'd understand."

"Try me."

He studied her face and tried to figure out what her game was. Savitar had tried time and again to get him to talk about what had happened but Nick had never opened up. Now this very pretty lady was sitting here asking him to talk to her for no reason. Something wasn't sitting right with him. "Sorry but you can't get it that easily Sav."

She laughed at him, "I'm not Savitar. Trust me, I _so_ do not want to be him. Talk about your basic shitty choices. No, I'm just a friend of his."

"So what are you doing here?"

"Killing time basically. I'm waiting on someone that's talking with Savitar right now and I decided to take a walk. Much more interesting than sitting in that creepy meeting hall you know? What are you doing here?"

Nick thought about it for a second and chuckled, "I guess I'm doing the same thing, killing time."

"And who are you waiting on?"

"The bastard that sent me here." The woman cocked her head in question and waited on him to elaborate. "You see I got into a bit of trouble a while back and I pissed off the wrong person. Then the worst thing ever happened and I kinda took my frustrations out on myself and I ended up here. Now I'm waiting for the bastard to decide what he's going to do with me."

"Huh, sounds like a pickle."

He couldn't help but laugh at that, "A pickle huh?"

"Yeah. You know how they used to say that? 'I'm in a pickle'. I think it's a cool phrase."

"Yeah I guess it is."

"So what are you gonna do to get out of that pickle?"

"I don't know. I guess I haven't actually thought about that part of it."

She picked up a handful of sand and let it drain through her fingers, "Well, seems to me like all you need to do is talk to the bastard and tell him what happened and that you didn't mean for it to come out all wrong. If he's even remotely human he'll see the reasoning of it all and he'll forgive you."

Nick laughed again as he watched her funneling sand through her hands, "Well that's part of the problem, he's not human. And he won't ever forgive me."

"Well why not?"

"Because I did something really bad."

She wiped off her hands and scooted herself around to face him, "Now I don't believe that for a second. Savitar would never let anyone that was bad here."

"You really think you know him that well?"

"I'd say that is definitely a yes."

He studied her again, leaning close and looking at her eyes, "You're human though. How well can you know Savitar?"

"Told you, I'm a friend of the family. And yes, I am human but Sav and I go way back."

"Okay, I'll just let that one go then. So what makes you think that this bastard will forgive me if I explain this to him?"

Alicia shrugged, "Time heals all wounds right?"

He went all quiet and drew a pattern in the sand. "I don't think it's going to heal this one."

"You may be surprised. You're a good person and I think you'll end up on the right side of everything in the end."

"You got all that just from talking to me for a few minutes? Lady you don't know the half of it and you sure as hell don't know me."

She looked slightly upset by his defensive attitude. She stood up and brushed the sand off her dress and then planted her hands on her hips and looked down on him, "Oh, we're gonna have to do this the hard way huh? I bet I know more than you think I do."

"Ri-ight."

"Nick, you are all up in arms about what happened to your mother but have you stopped to think about what her death did to Acheron?"

"Wait, how'd you know that?"

"I told you, I know more than you think I do. Now tell me, have you thought about what Cherise's death has done to Acheron? You know damn well she was the only person other than you that ever treated him like a normal person. You two were the only people that had treated him like a friend in several thousand years." She waited a moment to let that sink in. "Now think about the fact that he lost you both in one night. How would you feel?"

"Pretty shitty I guess."

"Damn right pretty shitty. And having to live with the knowledge that there was nothing that he, the mighty Acheron Parthenopaeus, could do about it has got to hurt more than a little."

The shock that registered on Nick's face told Alicia that she'd struck dead center on target. "But…he brought Amanda and Kyrian back. Why…" he broke off the sentence in what could have been a sob.

"Why couldn't he bring your mom back too?" Alicia sat back down and put a hand on Nick's shoulder. "He was too late getting to her. Her soul had already gone and even he can't get souls back."

Nick looked up at her with eyes that were threatening to brim over with tears, which was a very frightening look for someone with the pure black eyes of a dark-hunter. "I didn't know."

"Well now you do. So what are you going to do about it? How do you get out of the pickle?"

Nick looked from the sand to the sky and then to her and back to the sand, "I guess I have to think about that some more."

Alicia leaned over and put her arm around Nick's shoulder and kissed him softly on the cheek. "It _will_ work out if you let it." Then she stood up and brushed her dress of again. "Okay, I guess it's time for me to get back. Nice talking to you Nick."

"Wait, I'll walk back with you. I think it may be my turn to talk to Savitar." She smiled at him and made a motion to show him the way back. "You're one hell of an interesting woman you know that?"

Alicia laughed, "I've been told that from time to time."

They walked back to the meeting hall together chatting about inconsequential things like music and movies and once they got to the doorway of the meeting hall she stopped. "Okay, I'll see you around."

"Wait," he reached for her hand and faced her. "I…huh. I've never met any one like you before. How do I find you again?"

"Oh I'll be around."

"Will you come back and talk with me again? I've really enjoyed it."

"Well Nick, I think you've got someplace else to be pretty soon, so I don't think I'll see you here. I may run in to you in the real world though."

"Someplace to be huh? Okay I'll chalk that one up to a mysterious phrase uttered by a mysterious woman. So if I see you in the real world, can I take you out for a drink or something?"

Alicia laughed heartily, "Uh Nick, you don't drink anymore remember? Besides, I'm seeing someone already."

"Oh, well then he is one lucky man isn't he?"

"If you say so. Well I've gotta go. Bye Nick, and take care of yourself okay?" She kissed him again on the cheek and walked off through one of the archways.


	23. Chapter 23

Alicia found Ash and Savitar on the balcony and she waved at them as she came out into the sunlight. She walked over and leaned on the railing between the two of them and closed her eyes.

"How'd it go?" Savitar asked.

"Not too bad. He's a stubborn one though."

"You're telling me! Like to beat him with my board if it wouldn't hurt my board. Thank you," he said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Feeling the heat in her skin he pulled back and looked at her, "You okay?"

"Guess so," she answered. "Ash, you up to speed now?"

"About as up to speed as I'm gonna be. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Couldn't," she said, slightly choking on the end of the word.

"She's right, Apollymi has spies every where. She's been watching you for a really long time in case someone tried something to stop her for good. If Phae had told you who she was someone would have found out and then the fecal matter woulda….well you know. You can't say anything to anyone about who she really is. Hell, don't even _think_ about it if you can. I'm not sure just how far the bitch's reach is these days."

"So how do I go about getting my soul back and all that if I can't think about it?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing. It's gonna happen soon, I can feel it. Unfortunately that probably means she can too, so you're gonna have to be damned careful once that soul is back in place."

"How will I know? It's been eleven thousand years since I had one, I don't think I remember it all too well any more."

Savitar grinned, "Oh you'll know. And when you do know, damn it pains me to say this, but you're gonna have to screw like bunnies till she gets knocked up."

Ash grinned back at the prospect of that turn of events and he put a loving hand on Alicia's shoulder. "I think I can handle that part."

"Hmmm, I'm sure you can. Now here's the crucial part, once Apollymi gets wind of this, and believe me she will, you've got to protect Phae at any cost cause the bitch is gonna throw everything she's got at you. She can't die this time Ash, no reset, no refund, game over."

Ash looked back and forth between Savitar and Alicia and his brow wrinkled in thought, "Can't I just take her to Katoteros?"

Savitar shook his head sadly, "She's human Ash. She can't survive there."

"So she can stay here, she'll be safe here."

"I'm afraid that the same rules apply here."

Ash looked down at Alicia who was leaning heavily on the railing and noticed that she was very pale. "Sati? You okay?" He reached over and touched her cheek and was so surprised by the amount of heat coming from her that he yanked his hand back.

"How long Phae?" Savitar asked her as she swayed on her feet.

"Bout…about the time we got here. Not long now." She opened her eyes now and Savitar could see the red from the blood vessels that were breaking in them. The effort of focusing on her brother made her lose her balance and she collapsed into Ash's arms.

"You've got to go Ash." Savitar helped scoop his sister into Acheron's arms and he guided them back into the meeting hall. "Remember, keep her safe or all bets are off. Apollymi _will_ kill her and the world _will_ end."

Alicia stirred a little in Ash's arms, her head lolling towards Savitar, "Now please Sav," she croaked before he transported them back to the real world.


	24. Chapter 24

Alicia woke up in her bed in the bungalow with a very concerned Amanda Hunter leaning over her. "It's okay Alicia. You're safe now."

"Mandy? What happened?"

"You took a spill off your bike. Ash brought you here since he figured you didn't need medical help and asked that I look out for you. You feel okay hon?"

Alicia tried to sit up and felt a dull ache in her ribs. She knew what had happened but Amanda didn't so it was best to play along with Ash's charade. "My ribs hurt a bit. Must be from the fall. Where's Ash?"

Amanda looked away like she didn't want to tell her friend where he went, "Uh, he had some business to attend to. He…"

"What time is it?" Alicia asked changing the subject as discretely as she could. "Oh crap, I'm late for work." She rose from the bed, painfully but as assuredly as she could manage so that Amanda would leave her alone. She needed to get away from her friend and get in touch with Ash to find out what his plan was.

"Are you sure you should be going to work?" Amanda asked, her mothering instinct obviously taking over.

Alicia put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled, "I'm fine. A little banged up but nothing I can't handle. Mandy, I've dumped a bike before and I'll probably dump one again. Nothing to worry about okay?" She shooed Amanda out of the bungalow and took a quick shower. Once she'd dressed in casual clothing she stopped and looked at herself in the mirror. Ash had healed the damage from being in Neratiti as best he could but some of the effects were still visible. She looked like she'd been on a three day bender and there were a few bruises around her ribs but nothing she couldn't pass off as a result of dumping her bike.

She walked out of the bungalow and didn't see any sign of her motorcycle so she slid into the soft leather seat of the Boxster and drove herself to the zoo. She worked her way through the morning rush hour traffic and pulled into the back parking lot of the zoo only a few minutes late.

She found Peter in the cathouse giving the pregnant jaguar an exam and he waved at her as she walked past. Checking her phone messages she found one from Tabitha and one from Carson. After she'd called both of them back she picked the phone back up and called Jim Gresham in Pennsylvania and chatted with him for a while. He promised to come down and visit her in a few months and she happily told him that she was looking forward to it.

After filling out some requisition forms and catching up on the mounting pile of paperwork on her desk she went out and strolled around the zoo enjoying the day and visiting with the animals. She stopped behind a group of school children that were on a field trip and she answered a few of the children's questions much to the relief of the frazzled volunteer tour guide. She was right in the middle of an explanation about how the elephant's could eat so much food when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket.

She excused herself and walked a short distance away from the group. "Hello?"

"Miss Caine? This is Robin Cook from ReMax. I wanted to call and let you know I found a property that fits your requirements and I was wondering if you'd like to come take a look at it."

"Sure Robin, that's great when's a good time?"

"Perhaps I could meet you for lunch and then we could go look at it?"

"That sounds like a plan," she got the information of when and where to meet the agent at and hung up her phone in a much better mood that she'd been in a few moments ago.

&&&&&&

"It's perfect," Alicia said as she wandered around the apartment. She'd loved the look of the building as soon as they'd pulled up and the inside was even more charming than the outside was.

"Fantastic, I'll draw up the papers and get them over to you in the morning. Once you sign them we'll get you moved in. Shouldn't take more than a day or two. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds great. I'll let all my friends know they get to help me move soon." She grinned at the agent as her phone rang again. "Will you excuse me a moment?" She stepped out onto the balcony of the apartment and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Looking down at the display she was surprised to find there wasn't one. For all intents and purposes her phone was off but yet, there it was ringing in her hand.

She flipped it open cautiously, "Hello?"

"Sati, it's good to hear your voice."

"Ash? Where are you?"

"Tulsa at the moment. Listen Sati, I need to come see you. Will you be home tonight?"

"Sure, wherever you want me to be I'll be there."

"Good, I'll be there tonight." He paused for a moment and just listened to her breathing, thinking about her soft skin sliding against his own. "My heart aches for you," he said in Atlantean.

She smiled as she leaned over the balcony and watched the people go by below her, "Come to me and I will ease your heart," she replied, also in Atlantean. "I love you Acheron, always."

He smiled into the phone, "And I love you Phae. Forever." Switching back to English he said, "I'll see you later," and hung up the phone.

Unfortunately, Alicia wasn't the only person that heard his words.


	25. Chapter 25

Apollymi didn't take the news well to say the least. She managed to vaporize several rooms of the palace at Kalosis before Xedrix and Sabine calmed her down. She then spent the better part of the day brooding over how she could stop them from succeeding in their plan to ultimately stop her from destroying the world.

Sabine sat at her feet fretting that her akra would go berserk again and destroy everyone in the palace, herself included. She stared up at Apollymi's beautiful face and was surprised when a decidedly wicked and extremely deadly smile spread against the Destroyer's face. "Bring Xora to me."

&&&&&

Alicia smiled and tossed the paper airplane she'd been folding across the desk at Peter. "That doesn't work for me. You gotta get on the bandwagon here buddy."

Peter laughed and tossed the paper airplane back at her, "I'm just saying, a pretty girl like you should get out and have a little fun. You can't spend your whole life sitting at home reading books."

"Peter, I don't spend my whole life reading books. I do have friends and I do have a life outside of work. Trust me when I say that my life is plenty exciting."

"Fine, fine, I won't say anything else. So did you look over those files for the prenatals?"

"Yeah, she looks good. I'll walk over and take a glance at her after lunch. You wanna grab a bite with me?"

Peter shook his head and reached for a folder on the top of a teetering pile, "No, you go ahead. I really have to get these out of here before La Pierre hunts me down." He waved her off and she smiled as she headed for the door, "Oh, remember the meeting tonight."

Alicia waved as she left the building and walked out into the bright midday sunshine. She headed across the zoo's main campus towards the gift shop and cafeteria. She grabbed one of the pre-made salads from the line and sat at one of the tables in the atrium. She sat watching the families enjoying their trip to the zoo. The innocence of the children always made her smile. Someday soon she hoped that she would be able to enjoy the same smiles with her own child. Of course that would mean that Ash would have to figure out how to get his soul back.

That dilemma was a bit overwhelming to tackle on such a beautiful day so she dropped her salad bowl in the trash and walked back out to the zoo. She was walking around the outside of the cat enclosure when she spotted a familiar face. "Hello Wren," she smiled and waved at the young man. He had been present at the tiger enclosure so much that she'd become friends with him. He really knew a great deal about the cats and she honestly enjoyed talking to him. "How's it going today?"

"Hey Alicia, it's okay so far. Gotta take Maggie out for dinner tonight, got any ideas?"

"I'm the wrong person to ask Wren, remember, still new to town. You should ask Peter, he'd know. He's quite a ladies man from what I hear."

"Okay, I'll ask him. When are you going to come over? Maggie would love to have you visit."

"Soon, I promise," Alicia said as she waved and wandered off towards the office. She'd just rounded the corner of the habitat when a huge whooshing noise heralded the appearance of something that Alicia had never seen before. It stood over six and a half feet tall and could only be described as demonic. Huge leathery wings spread from its back and it hissed in anger at her.

Alicia had no idea what to do other than escape from this thing somehow. She backed up as far as she could before the thing lunged at her and she fell to the ground as a scream escaped her. The demon, or whatever it was, dove towards her spreading its wings to slow its fall and shrieking like a banshee. She scrabbled backwards to try to get away from the thing but it kept coming at her.

Suddenly something slammed into her from the side and the world folded in upon itself.


	26. Chapter 26

When the world stopped spinning and the nausea passed she found herself sitting on a tattered green velvet couch in a strange room that she didn't recognize. She shook her head slightly to clear the last of the cobwebs aside and saw Wren across the room talking to one of the Peltiers. She tried to sit up but a hand on her chest forced her back down and she looked up to find Aimee attached to the hand.

"What…?"

"Shhhhh, relax hon, you're safe." Aimee said.

"Where am I?"

"You're in Peltier house behind Sanctuary. You're safe."

Wren came over and looked down at her from under his tangle of shaggy bags. "You're okay Alicia, don't worry."

"Wren, what the hell is going on?"

"I don't really know," he said as he sat down on the edge of the couch next to her. "I didn't think you felt like sticking around to find out what that was so I got you out of there."

Alicia nodded and took his hand, "Well you were right. Thank you Wren."

Mama Peltier came over then with a tray with tea on it. She handed one of the steaming cups to Alicia and sat in one of the high backed chairs across from the couch, "Is there some place you can go chere? Someplace safe?"

Alicia looked over the top of the tea cup as she sipped at it, "I don't know, is there anyplace that could be safe from that thing. Does anyone know what the hell that thing was?"

"It was a demon," Wren said quietly.

"A what?" Alicia knew full well what it was now that she'd had some time to think about it but she wasn't sure how much the Peltiers knew about the Dark-Hunters and the world they lived in. "That's not possible."

"Oh but it is possible chere," Mama Peltier said. "There are a lot of things in this world that sound like make believe but are in fact real."

Alicia tried to play the innocent a little longer, "Oh and I suppose that next you'll be telling me that vampires exist?"

Aimee snorted at that, "Not quite like the movies show them, but sort of. Alicia, what you think is real is probably just the tip of the iceberg. I know you're a scientist but you need to open your mind here. If there's a demon after you, well you're gonna need to believe in it."

"I'm pretty sure you got a good look at that thing," Wren said. When Alicia nodded slowly he smiled at her, "So you're not going to dispute your own eyes are you?"

"I…no I guess not."

"Good, now let's figure out why that thing is after you and what we can do to keep you safe."

Aimee looked at Alicia with a sad expression and chewed her lip a bit, "You'd better call Ash Mama."

&&&&&

It took Mama Peltier a while to track down someone that had Ash's phone number. She had to hunt down Otto Carvaletti and when Otto didn't want to be found he certainly was good at disappearing. "Otto, I need you to get a phone number for me," she said gently into the phone when she finally found him.

Alicia listened to the side of the conversation she could follow and she got the idea that Otto really didn't want to help out. Mama had to practically beg the man to give her the number and from the eye rolling she was seeing, the man was not cooperating. When he finally gave her the number she wrote it down and thanked Otto for the help, "Oh, by the way, you may want to inform your employer that there is some trouble in town. Well, the kind that has wings and horns and nasty teeth and can seriously damage a person that doesn't know how to deal with one of them. Yes Otto a demon. All right, thank you." She sighed and hung up the phone.

"Now what?" Alicia asked.

Mama Peltier didn't hesitate, she dialed the number she had gotten from Otto and waited as it rang. Finally she got Ash's voice mail and she cleared her throat as the message played. "Ash, this is Mama Lo Peltier, I …I've got a problem and I need some help from you. Uh…we seem to have a demon in town and I was wondering if you could give us some advice. Call me please. Sooner rather than later would be good." Mama rattled off the main phone number for the bar and hung up the phone. "Well I guess now we wait."

&&&&&

Mama Peltier was very kind to Alicia and Alicia was debating how much she should tell the woman when Ash stormed through the door. His head swung around as he scanned the room and finally came to rest on Alicia. When she smiled weakly at him he nodded and then turned to Mama Peltier. "Tell me what you know."

"Sit," she said pointing to the free chair. "Wren is the one you need to talk to. He brought her here."

Ash turned to Alicia and his face softened but only she could see it, "What did you see?"

She could tell that he didn't want too much information to be known by anyone else so she kept up her innocent act. "I really don't know what it was. Wren said it was a demon."

"Where is Wren then?" Ash asked.

"He's out front with Maggie. Aimee would you go get him?" Mama asked. "Ash, what is happening here?"

"I'm not really sure. I have an idea but I can't know if it's right. Alicia, can you describe it?"

She did, managing to sound confused even though she knew exactly what it was that had attacked her. She had lived in Atlantis and while only the nobility could control the Charontes she'd seen them from afar. It was clear to her that Apollymi had sent it after her because she'd gotten wind of the resurrection of Phaedryn.

"I see," Ash said as he took the information in. Wren came back into the living room and confirmed all of what Alicia had just said. "Thank you for getting her to safety."

"No problem, Alicia is my friend," Wren said softly.

"Mama, is it okay if Alicia stays here for a while? I think this is the safest place she can be until I figure out how to stop this thing. Perhaps she could go visit your friend in the attic?"

Mama's eyes got wide at that. No one knew who and what it was that was in the attic other than her and Papa Peltier. She nodded once and Ash waved a hand to erase that little memory from everyone else in the room's memory. "Thank you Mama, I'll take her up to her room."

Ash led her up the back stairs of the house that very few humans ever saw the inside of. He walked her down the hallway of the top floor and into an empty bedroom. Closing the door behind them he pulled Alicia into his arms and held her tightly. "Oh Sati, I'm so sorry. I didn't think she'd find out this quickly."

"She sent a Charonte after me? What the hell Ash?" She broke free of his hug and started pacing the room. "Is this what you call serenity cause I've got a different word in mind here darling."

Ash chuckled, "I'm sure you do. I'm so sorry Sati. I didn't think she'd go to this extreme."

"Ash, you heard Sav, this is the final time I get. If she can stop us she'll destroy the world. Of course I won't be around to care but I kinda like this place and I'd hate to see it go the way of Atlantis. How are we going to stop her?"

Ash sat heavily on the bed and put his head in his hands. Seeing him without the answer her heart melted and she knelt on the bed beside him pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry Sati, I don't mean to snap at you." She cupped his jaw in her hand and took his sunglasses off so she could look into his eyes, then she raised his face to hers so she could kiss him. "Okay, so who's in the attic that is going to protect me?"

He grinned at her and brushed her hair away from her face, "A very old friend of mine. I think you'll like him." Ash closed his eyes and cocked his head to one side as if he were listening for something. After a while he opened his eyes back up and nodded, "Okay, let's go visit him."

"You know, for all that I know about you, you still freak me out a bit."

He laughed at that as he put his glasses back on then he grabbed her around the waist and flashed them into the attic.


	27. Chapter 27

Alicia opened her eyes and felt slightly nauseous again. Suddenly she knew exactly how Wren had gotten her from the zoo to the house. She remembered the weight slamming into her and then the world shifting and he figured that he had tackled her then flashed her to the house. Making a mental note to thank him after all this was over she glanced around the cavernous expanse of the attic.

"Whoa," she breathed. She couldn't believe how big the space was. Perhaps one of the army's jumbo transports could fit in here and there would still be some space to spare. Something magic had to be responsible for the room because there was no way that this could be the attic of the house you could see from outside.

Off to one side of the room there was a small living space with a giant screen TV, several comfortable looking couches and a gorgeous blonde man. Ash directed her towards the couches and the man rose from his seat and motioned for them to come sit down. Alicia noted a mass of scar tissue along the man's throat and she wondered what had clawed him like that.

"Alicia Caine, I'd like you to meet Ilarion Konstantinus. Ilarion, this is Alicia." The man nodded at her, apparently the damage to his throat impeded his speech.

"Please to meet you." She glanced once more at the size of the room and looked back to her host, taking in the large dragon tattoo on his arm. "Drakos?"

Ilarion smiled and nodded. A gentle voice slipped into her mind and said, "Very good. Welcome to my sanctuary."

"Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I'm sure that you value your privacy so I'll try to stay out of your way."

"Fear not lady, I only bite when provoked."

Alicia couldn't help but laugh at his joke. "Then I will try not to provoke you."

Ash shook Ilarion's hand and then kissed Alicia on her forehead. "I'll be back in a while, I have an idea on how to protect you but I can't do it from here. Thank you my friend for your service. She is worth more than you can imagine, guard her well." Then he vanished.

&&&&&

Alicia had spent several hours sitting on the sofa watching Ilarion flip through channels on the TV. He seemed the type to never settle on one thing and apparently her presence made him nervous. She had noticed some bookshelves behind the living area and after exploring them for a while she found a book that appealed to her and after getting Ilarion's permission to read it she sat and tried to concentrate on it.

Ilarion kept glancing at her as if she might spring up at any moment and bite him. His gaze made her fidget which probably made him even more nervous so she decided to simply confront the man. "I won't hurt you. I know…" she pointed hesitantly at his throat. "I know people, humans, hurt you but I won't."

He looked down at his lap, "I am sorry that I am untrusting. I spend my life alone and the presence of anyone makes me edgy." He sighed loudly, a ragged stuttering noise. "You are very special to Acheron."

"I guess I am."

"Do you know why?" He cocked his head at her as if he could see inside her head where his voice echoed. "I have never seen him be protective of any one human. All of them at once yes, but never one in particular."

Alicia put the book aside. Ash trusted Ilarion with her life so it probably wouldn't hurt to tell him some of the details. "I am a sort of a key. I can either balance the world forever or throw it all into chaos and destruction. Certain powers want the destruction part so they are trying to kill me."

"I see, well then I shall protect you with my life. I am no big fan of destruction unless I am the one causing it."

Alicia laughed at the image she got of Ilarion in his dragon form stomping on thatched roof villages like Godzilla. "I would love to see you in your natural form. I bet you are incredible."

He grinned at her and rose from the sofa. Making a 'stay here' motion he walked to the center of the room and suddenly there was a magnificent dragon in his place. Alicia gasped in awe and rose slowly from the couch. Ilarion blinked at her with eyes that sparkled like jewels and she slowly walked around his massive form.

When she'd completed the circle she looked up at him and smiled, "You have just completely shot my college education to hell you know. Wow. Your musculature is incredible, to be able to hold that much weight up your wing span must be immense."

"Would you care to take a trip with me?" he said in her head with a slight chuckle.

"Oh I'd love to."

He waited patiently until she clambered up onto his back between his spinal ridges and then he flashed them to a beautiful rustic countryside. "Here we go, now I can stretch out a bit." He allowed her to climb back down and he spread his immense wings and launched himself into the sky.

Alicia fell to the ground in wonder and marveled at the incredible sight above her. Everything she'd ever discussed theoretically in college about the possibility of dragons was running back through her mind and she wryly wondered if anyone would even begin to believe her descriptions of Ilarion's form. When he landed again some time later it was with a grace that she couldn't imagine. She'd posited that he would come down in a controlled fall but he floated down like a leaf on the breeze and touched down as lightly as a feather.

She clapped her hands like a little girl in delight of the demonstration he'd given her, "You sir are amazing."

He grinned at her with wickedly sharp teeth and even managed to waggle what would have been his eyebrows if he had any in this form, "You don't know the half of it." That set them both off into peals of laughter and he reverted back to his human form. "I should get you back. If Ash comes back and you're gone he won't be happy."

"No I doubt that he would be."

Ilarion took her elbow as if he were escorting her to a dance and flashed them back to his room in the attic.

&&&&&&

Alicia spent three more days in Ilarion's attic. Once he'd realized that she was by no means anything like any other human he'd ever met he relaxed and opened up to her a little more. She found out that he had a passion for video games and laughed when he told her he absolutely adored one called Blazing Dragons. As he demonstrated the game to her she rolled in laughter because it was voiced with several of the Monty Python actors and the subtext of the whole thing was very Python-esque. She also discovered that he had an extensive movie collection and they spent several hours discussing the merits of Sean Connery's performance in Dragon Heart.

She also talked to him at length about the physical make up of his dragon form and how certain parts of his body worked. "I simply cannot comprehend how it is you can produce fire from your gut. Is your throat coated in Teflon or something?"

"Well I wish I had an answer to that. It's much like breathing, I just do it."

"Oh pishaw! You know how it works and you're just not telling me. You rotten dragon you." They were still laughing over that when Ash popped back into the attic.

"Well, looks like you two are having a good time," he said with a raised eyebrow in Ilarion's direction.

"Relax Acheron, I mean no offense to you. Alicia however is a delightful lady and I have greatly enjoyed her company."

Ash looked back and forth between them and shook his head in wonder. He'd known Ilarion for several thousand years and the dragon had very rarely ever tolerated anyone in his presence unless he was horny and a pretty woman was nearby. However, he sensed no insincerity in Ilarion so he tipped his head in thanks.

"I think I've found something to protect you Phae but it's going to be hit or miss."

She looked at him in question, "That doesn't sound like a solution to me."

"Well it may or may not work. I've got Xirena investigating right now and it's going to be a while before she can give me an answer. Ilarion do you mind if Alicia remains here for a little longer?"

Alicia held up her hand, "Whoa there. I want answers. First of all who's Xirena?"

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose, "Xirena is Alexion's Charonte."

She thought about that for a moment. "Okay, your Alexion has a Charonte?" Ash nodded. "And you've sent this Charonte off to do what exactly?"

He looked sheepishly at her, "To find another Charonte."

She worked this through in her head and when she finally put it all together her eyes bulged, "You can't be serious!"

"Oh but I am. I can't guard you all the time and I know that Ilarion will relish your departure." The other man had the good sense to suddenly become interested in the wall. "Sati, I can't protect you all the time and I can't leave you unguarded now that she knows about you. Even if I were to convince one of the Kattagaria or Dark Hunters to stay with you all the time none of them are a match for a Charonte." He took her hand in his own and squeezed it gently. "Phae, it's the only way to keep you safe."

Alicia sighed loudly as she came to the same conclusion. "Well that's just great Ash. You know you're never going to find one willing to bind with a peasant right?"

"Phaedryn, you are not a peasant," he said carefully. "You are the key to the balance of humanity. Plus you're damn special in my book so I think that counts for something." She looked up at him and she could feel the love he was putting into his words. "Trust me on this. Xirena bound with Alexion to escape from Apollymi, there are probably others in her grasp that wouldn't mind an escape too. But Xirena has to be discrete about it so it's going to take some time."

"All right. But it's up to you to explain to my boss where I've been."


	28. Chapter 28

Three days later Ash arrived back in Ilarion's attic with a grin on his lips and a box for Ilarion. "Good news and bad news," he said as he plopped down on the couch next to Alicia who was busy getting her butt kicked in Mortal Kombat. He watched as Alicia pulled off a fancy move in the game as Ilarion was distracted but she still got killed a few seconds later when his attention returned.

"Damn it Ash. You made me lose," she teased as she leaned over and kissed him.

"Oh you can't blame that on me. Trust me, Ilarion even beats me in that game."

"I find that hard to believe."

Ilarion's voice echoed in her head, "Oh he lets me win."

Ash not having heard that last part looked seriously at her, "So, have you given it any more thought?"

"Yes, and I've had several long talks with Ilarion about the matter. He agrees with you by the way. I was still against it until he told me that even a dragon would have a hard time protecting me against a pissed off Charonte with orders to kill. So…I guess we're doing this your way."

Ash smiled and sent silent thanks to Ilarion. "Good. Well that's the good news. Xirena's found one of the outer bunch in Kalosis that is extremely dissatisfied with his lot in life and would do just about anything to be an object of someone's affection."

"Something tells me the bad news comes next," Alicia said wryly.

"Unfortunately you're right. Xirena says that while he is apparently very handsome for a Charonte, he is quite set in his ways. He's not a newborn so it won't be easy to change his habits. However, if you have a firm hand with him I think he'll come around. Well, I think he'll come around anyway because Simi and Xirena won't let him piss me off."

Alicia blinked at him, "Simi? You named your Charonte Simi?" She burst out laughing much to Ash's chagrin and Ilarion's confusion. "Oh Sati, that's just too funny."

"What? I don't get it," Ilarion spoke in their heads.

Ash managed to look nearly embarrassed as Alicia explained to Ilarion that in Charonte 'Simi' means baby. "I can't believe you call a Charonte demon 'baby'. That's just ridiculous."

"Shh, you'll hurt her feelings," Ash said in a stage whisper. Alicia bit her lip to quell any further laughter and blinked at him. She knew all too well the mysterious powers of the Charontes and she knew that they could mold themselves to the flesh of their masters like a tattoo. "Well I got her as a hatchling so to me she is a baby. Please don't ever laugh at that in front of her or I will never hear the end of it. I managed to go for nearly nine thousand years without her finding out what it meant and then Xirena had to go and blab it to her."

"Right, so what else is the problem with this Charonte?" Alicia asked now that she'd calmed down from her peals of laughter.

"Well, apparently he's got high expectations in a mistress. He's been serving Apollymi for a very long time but she's never accepted him as a primary bond. He's kind of spoiled by her godhood."

"Oh Ash, that's not going to work. When he finds out I'm human…well you can imagine. 

"True, but remember, you won't have to be merely mortal forever. Once you do what you were put here to do, I can make you immortal. Then he won't have a problem with it. I hope."

Alicia chewed her lip furiously. There were too many 'ifs' and 'buts' to make this plan sound good to her. She knew that she had to be human and mortal to procreate and there was very nearly no way that a Charonte that could expect to live for twenty thousand years would bond with a person that would be dying in what amounted to an eye blink to them. "Are you sure there's no other way?"

"Sati," Ash said, looking into her eyes and holding her hand to his heart. "There is no other way. You heard Ilarion, not even a dragon can protect you from a Charonte. The only thing that can save you and make this prophecy go the good way is to have you protected by something a Charonte cannot defeat."

"Fine, what do I have to do to make him bond to me?"


	29. Chapter 29

Ash explained to her what meeting this Charonte and the bonding process, if he accepted it, would entail. First they had to get the Charonte out of Kalosis and to someplace he would accept as neutral to meet. Then it was up to Alicia to impress him both literally and figuratively.

"What about someplace like the middle of nowhere?" Alicia suggested. "That way he couldn't complain that we were playing favorites or we had an advantage."

Ash shook his head, "No, we have to prove to him that you are powerful enough to keep him even though you are still human. We can explain to him that you won't have to stay human but that's not going to sell it." He rose from the couch and paced around the expanse of open space. When he stopped pacing and looked over at her she felt as if something terrible was about to happen. "I've got an idea but you're not going to like it."

Sighing heavily she rolled her hand to get him to continue, "Spit it out."

"We can meet him in Katoteros."

Her eyes flew open at this idea and she shook her head furiously, "I can't Ash. You know that."

Ash strode over and sat next to her, taking her hand in his own, "Sati, you can if you have some help. Savitar can keep you going so you can talk to this Charonte and convince him that you are the person he needs to bond with."

Alicia looked into his face and realized that he was right. Of course he was always right, but she knew that he would never do anything to hurt her. "I won't be able to last long even with Sav's help."

"No, so you'd better be damn convincing."

&&&&&&

They left Ilarion's attic after many thanks to him for his assistance. He told Alicia that he was to be considered a friend and if she needed his help he wouldn't hesitate. In return she told him that if he ever needed any medical help she would drop whatever she was doing to help him.

Once they were back in the main part of Peltier house, they started planning how they would impress this Charonte. Alicia was completely unsure of her ability to play a noble born Atlantean but Ash reminded her that it had been close to eleven thousand years since anyone had seen a high born Atlantean so it shouldn't be too hard to play it off. Plus if Savitar helped out they should be able to make it appear like she was perfectly comfortable in Katoteros, which even Charontes knew no humans could go to.

Alicia called out to her brother and he appeared several minutes later, wet and disgruntled that once again they had interrupted his surfing. "Oh like you don't ever have time to surf you lazy bum," she said as she hugged him.

Ash snickered at the fact that she had called a being more powerful then himself a lazy bum. "Hey Sav, need a bit of help if you've got the time, what with your hectic schedule and all."

"Oh that's enough out of you fang boy."

"Children please," Alicia said with a grin. "We've got other things to talk about. Sav, we need your help."

"What can I do for ya baby sister?"

Ash explained the situation to him and Savitar's face fell little by little. "You're gonna try to fool a Charonte so that he'll bond with her? He's going to kill her. That kinda defeats the purpose of all of this you know."

"So don't fool him." Alicia got up and began walking around the tiny room. "Tell him the truth. Ash you said that Xirena told you he's unhappy because Apo…_she_, won't bond with him. If we give him a better offer than that, why would he refuse?"

Ash looked over at Savitar who merely shrugged, "She's got a point. Yeah, my baby sister, she's a smart one."

Ash nodded as he thought it through, "That just may work. Now Savitar, can you keep her healthy long enough for the meeting to happen?"

"Probably."

Alicia glared at him, "Probably? That's pretty weak there brother dear. You know there's a whole lot resting on the health of my uterus here pal. You both need to keep this little brood mare in fine standing."

Both men looked cowed at her words, "I'll get Xirena to set something up. Oh and I think you're going to want to meet Simi and Xirena before this goes down. If they both stand behind you it may help out." Ash said to change the topic.

"Fine do it. Now both of you two, get the hell out. I'm tired," Alicia smirked as she shooed the two men out of her room.

&&&&&&

She woke the next morning with Ash cuddled behind her in the bed. Smiling at his sleeping face she got up and padded down the hall to the bathroom, desperately wanting a shower. She was luxuriating in the steaming water when she realized that she was no longer alone.

Spinning around she found a grinning Acheron gazing appreciatively at her. "Mind if I join you?"

She smiled over her shoulder and went back to washing her hair. Once she'd rinsed the last of the soap from it, Ash's hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him. He molded his body to hers and she moaned in delight. As he kissed up and down her neck she ran her hands along his legs and hips, pulling him closer and making her needs known. Something about the water brought out some of his true Atlantean skin tone and she traced the marbleized blue patterns as he spun her around and lifted her legs around his waist.

He flashed them out of the shower and onto a huge soft bed as he slid up and into her making her shiver in ecstasy. They rolled around for a few moments until she sat astride him, looking down at him with complete and utter love in her eyes. That look consumed him as she shifted her hips and rode him into heaven.

When they crashed into their climax they collapsed against each other, spent and basking in the swirling haze of bliss. Alicia's fingers traced patters along Ash's arms, defining the tight muscles and marveling at the sheer perfection of his body. The blue marbling was gone now, hidden behind his human guise but she knew what he looked like in his true form, she had memorized every perfect inch of his body so long ago and she would never forget it.

Ash smiled up at her and kissed her fingers as she tickled his lips. He still couldn't believe that she was real. He'd been so incredibly alone for so long, so empty with out her and here she was again. This time he wouldn't lose her. He would keep her with him no matter what happened and nothing could ever take her away.

"Let me see you for real Ash. I want to remember what you truly look like."

He looked up at her with sadness in his eyes, "I'm not the same Sati."

"It doesn't matter. I want to remember you."

He nodded and dropped the human guise that he held everyplace except Katoteros and let her see what had happened to him. She smiled at the blue patterns on his skin and then frowned when she saw the handprint on his throat.

Her fingers traced it and she wondered what had caused it. She'd been able to learn a lot of his life from Savitar but she didn't know all of it. "Who did this?"

He closed his eyes and sighed, "Apollo. When he killed me."

Noticing the jagged scar that ran from his throat to his stomach and her eyes widened again. "And this?" she asked as she traced it.

"Estes."

A single tear rolled down her cheek and splashed against his chest. "It's a good thing he's dead or I would rip him apart with my bare hands."

He smiled at her concern, "Oh he did suffer mightily. Do not doubt that Sati."

She leaned over him and kissed him softly, "I never doubt you my love."


	30. Chapter 30

Ash came down the hallway to the living room of Peltier house and looked around at the empty room. Alicia was sitting on the green couch waiting for him but no one else was around at the moment. "Where is everyone?"

"Lunch rush," Alicia explained putting aside the magazine she'd been reading. She was very nervous about meeting the two Charonte demons but Ash had assured her that it would be fine. He'd returned to Katoteros a while ago and explained to the sisters that he wanted their help in convincing the other demon to bond with Alicia. Simi was a little jealous at first, she didn't like to share Ash with anyone, but once he'd explained how much she meant to him Simi relented. Xirena was more open to the idea, mainly because she wanted to have access to a male Charonte.

"You ready?" Ash asked sitting across from her.

"Do I have a choice?"

He grinned and shook his head no. "Sim?" The tattoo of the dragon that was on his chest swirled and became mist and then it coalesced into a young woman in Goth clothing. She could have passed for any twenty something club hopping girl if not for the wings and the horns.

The young Charonte turned and looked at Alicia, her lip curling slightly, "You are the one Simi is supposed to like?"

"If you find me worthy," Alicia said in Atlantean.

Simi's eyes narrowed at the other woman and she stuck a finger to her lips, "You speak in Akri's language. You like barbeque?"

Alicia smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Love it."

"You will go shopping with Simi?" It could have been a question or it may have been a statement, Alicia wasn't sure.

"I would be honored."

Simi spun on her heel and faced Ash again, "Okay the Simi likes her. Can Akri feed the Simi now?"

Ash laughed at his demon and nodded to her, "Why don't you go ask Mama Lo for some lunch?"

Simi happily skipped off towards the front of the bar, her horns and wings vanishing. Alicia looked after her in wonder, this Charonte was nothing like she'd expected. "Wow."

Ash raised an eyebrow at her, "See? Simi."

Fully understanding the reasoning behind his use of the term 'baby' now she nodded. "So is that it? Did I pass?"

"Oh yes. However, you are now relegated to having to have Charonte barbeque with her and shopping, which believe me is a huge load off my mind. I don't mind going with her from time to time but she brings new meaning to the word fiend when she shops."

Alicia got up and came over to sit on the arm of Ash's chair. He wrapped his arm around her waist and looked up at the ceiling, "Alexion? We're ready."

Another Charonte popped into existence in front of them in a moment and Alicia tried not to jump in surprise. They certainly made an entrance. Xirena looked much like her sister yet older. The demon hissed a little at Alicia until Ash raised an eyebrow at her.

"She stinks of human," the demon growled.

"Perhaps because I _am_ human," Alicia spat in Atlantean. "However, with your help I can live long enough to fulfill my purpose and move on to something better."

Xirena curled up her lip and then smiled broadly, "She has spirit. Xiovar will like her."

"Well color me thrilled."

&&&&&

Once the introductions had been made and Alicia had been approved by the two sisters, she relaxed a little. She managed to sneak out into the bar for a few minutes, enjoying the contact with Aimee and Dev and some of the regulars that didn't run when Ash appeared. Ash had informed her that he'd told Amanda and Carson that she was safe and sound but that she wouldn't be home for a while. He'd even contacted the storage company that was holding her furniture and had it delivered to her apartment. Then he had gone to the zoo and altered everyone's memory so that they didn't miss her. With her mind eased about the rest of the world she spent some time with Ash discussing his full involvement in the world and why he couldn't be with her all the time.

She enjoyed the strange looks she got from some of the regulars because she was sitting with the man that most people in this bar thought was the most dangerous thing on legs. When nothing popped into the bar and attacked her she socialized a little with some of the patrons and then sadly returned to the safety of her room. She hated being locked away from everyone but she knew the consequences of being in plain sight. If she was hidden away it would be much harder for Apollymi to find her.

Finally after reading several books in her solitude and visiting with Ilarion some, Ash came back to inform her that Xirena had arranged the meeting. "It's about damn time. You know how boring it is around here?" she whined.

"Well your wait is almost over Sati, time to impress." Ash said as he kissed her tenderly and flashed them to Katoteros.


	31. Chapter 31

She gaped at the beauty of the palace when they arrived. She had imagined what it looked like and Savitar had told her some of it but nothing could match what was before her now. Spinning around and drinking it all in she found Savitar leaning against a wall grinning at her.

"Hello big brother," she said as she danced over to hug him. "Ready to keep my ass alive?"

"Haven't I been doing that forever?" he said as he kissed her cheek. "Let's make this fast though, I'm missing high tide."

Alicia playfully batted at his shoulder and followed the two men into the throne room. "Now, let's dress you a bit more Atlantean," Ash said as he reverted to his more demonic looking form and then he flashed her into a beautiful dress made of the finest Atlantean silk that flowed around her like a cloud. "Yeah, that's it," he growled appreciatively.

"Can I keep this one when we're done? I could really turn some heads in it," she teased as she twirled around to watch the skirt float.

Ash glared at her and draped himself in the throne. She sat by his side on the arm of the throne and kissed the top of his head while Savitar sat in a similar throne nearby. Simi came dancing in a few moments later cooing at the 'pretty dress' and begging Ash to let her go shopping with Alicia.

"You should have sparklies for that pretty dress," Simi said as she played with the fabric.

Alicia laughed at the little demon. "You'll have to pick some out for me then."

Simi nodded furiously and looked up to see Xirena leading a huge male Charonte into the throne room. He gaped in awe of the Atlantean heaven that he'd been told of but had never seen. When he spied Acheron on his throne he bowed slightly then moved his burning ember eyes to Alicia. "This is what you expect me to serve?"

Before Xirena could reply Alicia rose from the throne and strode towards the demon, "You will not serve anyone," she purred in Atlantean. "No, you are too strong to be a slave." She looked him up and down and ran an appreciative touch across his flank.

"You dare touch me human?"

Alicia had to look up to the demon but she was used to looking up to Ash so it wasn't hard for her to be defiant while he towered over her. She had expected an attitude but this was beginning to piss her off. "You dare to stand before me and not acknowledge me? I am not a goddess but I _will_ make you suffer if you continue to insult me. I stand here with respect for the Charonte and you sully that. Perhaps I was mistaken to offer you a better life. Perhaps you deserve to be treated like a slave."

Acheron was about to rise from the throne and leap to her defense because it looked every bit like Xiovar would attack her. Then he looked back at Acheron and then to Savitar and he cocked his head in question, "You come here?"

"I do," Savitar said.

"What is your purpose here?"

"I come on behalf of my sister. Although why she's wasting my time with you I can't figure out. You know Phae you really can do better."

Xiovar looked from Savitar to Alicia, "You are his sister?"

"I am. Is there a problem with that?"

The confusion on the demon's face was nearly comical. He looked from face to face searching for an answer and finally back to Alicia, "You will not make me a slave?"

She shook her head no, "You should never be a slave. If you bond with me I will give you nothing but the respect you deserve."

Xiovar nodded at her, "Then we will bond."

She reached over and put a hand on his, "Thank you Xiovar. I am honored."

&&&&&&

The actual process of bonding with her was very simple. Xiovar requested once more that she promise not to enslave him and she willingly did. Then he turned into a vapor and lay himself across her skin becoming the dragon-like tattoo that she had seen on the Atlantean nobility. It seared her flesh and she screamed as he settled on her chest.

"That'll get easier eventually," Ash said as she hissed at the pain.

"Shit! When?" She was dancing around the throne room as Savitar laughed at her. "Oh you shut up."

Savitar raised his hands in defense, "Fine you want me to leave?"

Alicia glared at him, "You are infuriating you know that? You're damn lucky you're related to me or I'd whip your ass."

Ash smiled at them and felt content for the first time in a very long time. He could almost imagine what life would have been like for him if he'd had a family that loved him. With any luck, soon he would have that opportunity all over again. "So, anyone know where I can find my soul?"

&&&&&&

Alicia spent a long time at the Peltier house talking to Xiovar and getting to know him. While he was almost as old as Acheron he had never traveled to the human plane of existence although he'd been told of it by his mother and sisters. He had been born in Kalosis and lived there almost all of his whole life. Alicia asked him many questions about Kalosis and how he was treated there and she grew more angry with every one he answered.

Xiovar had been the son of Xora who was bound to Archon. When Archon died with the destruction of Atlantis Xora went insane and had been locked up in Kalosis ever since. Xiovar told her that it had been Xora who was sent to kill her. Apparently Apollymi had told Xora that Alicia had been the one that killed Archon to get the demon to attack her. Because his mother had gone mad, Xiovar had been treated like he too would become insane and he was effectively shunned by Apollymi.

"How long?" Alicia asked sympathetically. Now she could understand why Ash was so indulgent of Simi.

"Since before the Greek gods were at the height of their power."

When Alicia explained to him what a veterinarian was he practically danced around the room in delight and when she told him she'd take him to the zoo with her he really did dance. He had not seen anything like the animals she described since he was an infant on Atlantis. The childlike delight on his face made her laugh as she explained that he would have to appear human if he wanted to blend in with the other humans and not cause a panic. The idea made him curl his lips but the excitement about seeing the animals overpowered it. "I will do as you command Akra," he said.

"I won't command you Xiovar. I will ask." She had been trying to get him to understand that she was not cruel and slowly he was beginning to trust her. "And you can cut out the Akra too. That doesn't apply to me."

"But…"

"I am not your master Xiovar. The sooner you get that through your head the better off we'll both be. My name is Alicia, at least it is at the moment. Can you find it in your heart to call me Alicia?"

Xiovar looked as if she was speaking a language he didn't understand, "I can only try my lady."

"Do or do not, there is no try," she rasped in her best Yoda voice. Of course that led to an extremely detailed discussion about the Star Wars movies followed by a marathon showing of all six of them in Alicia's apartment which Simi and Ash attended. They invited Tabitha and Valerius over as well and Tabby couldn't hide her envy over the fact that Alicia had a Charonte of her very own. She accepted the little bit of information about Alicia's higher purpose that she was given with a nonchalance that made Ash wonder why he bothered to hide anything from the woman.

When Alicia finally did take Xiovar to the zoo she could barely contain his excitement. He danced from exhibit to exhibit explaining that there had been an animal just like this one or similar to that one in Atlantis. Alicia allowed him to explain it all to her, not bothering to remind him that she too had been there. She treated him with the patience a mother would have for her child and the look of love in his eyes at the end of the day justified every moment of it.

When he returned to her that night he lay across her chest as if hugging her and she smiled as she traced the lines of his body on hers as she fell asleep.


	32. Chapter 32

Acheron woke in his sprawling bed to the screeching of the pterygsauras as they played outside his window. "Shut up will you?" he called as he rose from the bed. Two of the little dragons peered around the edge of the window looking at him and he walked over and patted their heads to calm them.

He dressed and wandered to the throne room where he picked up his guitar and started strumming it. He was still there, not actually playing anything just occasionally running his fingers over the strings when Alexion found him some time later. "Ash?"

"What? Oh sorry, I was just thinking."

Alexion walked over next to the throne, "I figured that. Anything I can help with?"

Ash shook his head and smiled at the man who had been one of his friends for thousands of years. "No, just trying to find a misplaced soul."

Alexion knew exactly what Ash was talking about and he nodded. "Can't help you with that one."

"Nope, a bit before your time."

Alexion kept staring at Ash and when he didn't leave to go do whatever it was that he did, Ash raised an eyebrow at him, "What?"

Alexion gulped and wrung his hands, "You feeling okay boss?"

Ash looked at him as if there may be some sort of joke coming. When Alexion didn't say anything he said, "I'm fine Ias, why do you ask?

"Well, Danger and I kinda noticed…"

This game was starting to bother Ash, "Noticed what Ias?"

"Well, you haven't gone to Olympus in a while."

Ash thought about that for a moment. Usually he had to go to Olympus pretty regularly to feed from Artemis. If he didn't, he started to revert to his more demonic persona and things started going very badly. Artemis' blood kept him sane and as human as an eleven thousand year old god could be. It took him some time to finally remember when the last time he'd felt that need was. His brow creased and he put the guitar down beside the throne and he glared at Alexion. "You're right."

Alexion couldn't think of anything else to say but Ash usually knew when he couldn't wait any longer to go feed. He had been known to wait as long as possible because he hated having to do it but the alternative meant the end of the world. Ash paced around the throne room like he had just realized how far he had gone but he exuded none of the signs of violence that Alexion had seen before. When Ash was about to snap and he had to be forced to go to Olympus you could feel the energy in the air like being hit by a bolt of lightning.

Suddenly Ash stopped pacing and he whirled to face Alexion. "I don't need it."

"What? I'm not following you."

Ash laughed at the other man's confusion, "Lex! I. Don't. Need. It!" Alexion just couldn't figure out what Ash was saying. "Think about it, ever since I came back I've needed it to keep from going bonkers. Feeding from her allowed me to keep my humanity although I've never been able to figure _that_ one out. I don't need to feed on her anymore because I don't need her to give me my humanity back." 

"Oh my head hurts now. Still not getting it boss."

"I got my humanity back from someone else."

Alexion started to comprehend what Ash was saying, "You've fed from someone else?"

"Yes! No! Sort of," he sat back down and ran a hand through his hair. "I bit Alicia. I couldn't help myself, it wasn't on purpose it just happened. I sort of drank some of her blood. Damn it all! No wonder I've felt so good recently. I should have known."

"Okay, lost again."

"Don't you get it Lex?" the look of wonder on Ash's face made Alexion gasp. "Alicia has my soul."


	33. Chapter 33

Acheron flashed into the meeting hall of Neratiti. He would have gone directly to the beach but Savitar put some sort of spell on the place so that anyone coming to the realm had to come here unless Savitar flashed them in himself. Ash was surprised to find Nick sitting at the huge meeting table. Apparently Nick was rather surprised by Ash's sudden arrival too because he jumped a little.

"Damn it, don't you people ever announce yourselves?" Nick snarled looking back down at the laptop in front of him.

Ash started out to the beach but paused at the doorway, "Wait? Did you just talk to me?"

Nick blinked at him, "Yeah, so what?"

"I thought you weren't speaking to me."

"Yeah, don't get your shorts in a bunch. Times change."

Ash looked at the younger man and tried to figure out what had made him change his mind but then he remembered the real purpose of his trip here. "Can I come back and talk to you in a bit? I have _really_ got to have a word with Sav right now."

Nick waved at the Atlantean over his shoulder and tapped on the keys of the laptop. "Sure, not going anywhere you know."

Ash didn't know what to say to the young man that had been so close to him so he dashed out of the hall and down onto the beach. He slowed down as he came upon Savitar laying on a blanket next to a very beautiful woman.

"Gotta have a meeting now love," Savitar said as Ash came closer. "Go take a walk and I'll come find you when I'm done." The woman rose from the blanket and walked off into the distance. When she was well out of hearing distance Savitar got up and walked over next to Ash. "So, what's on your mind buddy?"

"You knew didn't you?"

Savitar raised an eyebrow at him, "I know a lot of things Ash. You need to be a little bit more specific."

"You knew where my soul was."

Savitar brightened at that, "Figured it out did ya?"

Ash nodded, "Why didn't you just tell me."

"I did tell you. Not in those exact words but I told you. Gotta play by the rules my friend. Rules said I couldn't tell specifically. Besides, it was more fun that way, admit it."

"Yeah it was fun. Does she know?" Savitar nodded carefully. "Let me guess, she couldn't tell me because of the rules?"

"Give the man a prize Johnny. I'm sorry Ash but things had to be just right for it all to work. You had to get it back innocently or it wouldn't return to you. Cosmic balance and all that."

Ash stopped walking and looked at Savitar, "So has she had it this whole time? Ever since it was taken from me?"

"In a manner of speaking yes."

"Okay, enough of the games Sav, just tell me the whole thing will you?"

Savitar shrugged and sat on the sand, "Actually I already did. You just weren't listening." When Ash's jaw clenched up Savitar knew it was time to stop. "All right, let me tell you a story, stop me if you know the ending. A long time ago this boy had a destiny. It could have gone one of two ways, he could have gone with the bad side of his nature and destroyed the world or he could have gone with the good side of his nature and everything is happily ever after."

"Sav, I know this already."

"Okay then, I'll skip ahead a few chapters. The boy fell in love with a girl and he gave her his heart, well not literally but you get the point. Anyway the evil bitch goddess decided to take the girl away from the boy to punish him and to try to make him come over to the dark side. However," he held up a hand to stop Ash's interrupting again. "The bitch goddess killed the girl but not before the boy had given her something more than just his heart."

"But I didn't give her my soul."

"Oh but you did my friend. You just weren't aware of the transaction."

"Do you ever make sense?"

Savitar shook his head, "I do if you listen. When Apollo killed you he took your soul, hence the nifty little hand print on your throat from where he ripped it out. He destroyed that part of your soul to damn you to hell forever. What old sunshine butt didn't know was that the other part of your soul was being cared for by someone else."

"Phaedryn?"

"Exactly, now you're getting it. The small part of your soul that you gave her was nurtured with her soul and it grew and grew, there's that cosmic balance thing again, until it became a whole soul again just waiting to go back to its home."

"I still don't get how I gave her some of my soul."

Savitar smacked his palm against his forehead, "I've got to break out the sock puppets don't I? Okay, it's like this, when a man and a woman really love each other, they wait until its dark and then they do the horizontal mambo."

Ash stared at him dumbfounded. Savitar waved his hand in front of Ash's face and snapped his fingers a few times. "Anyone in there?"

"She…but…she…."

"Yeah dopey, she was pregnant. And don't you dare ask me how!"

"I didn't know." Ash fell heavily to the sand and sat staring at Savitar. "Did Phae know? I mean, does Alicia know?"

"Yes and yes. Phaedryn knew she was pregnant but she didn't tell you because, well she kind of got killed before she could. Alicia knows about it but I forbade her from telling you. Ash, you had to find this all out on your own or the balance would be tipped."

Ash nodded dumbly as he worked through all of what Savitar had told him. "So the piece of my soul was in the baby?"

"Now ya got it."

"Wait, so when I drank some of Alicia's blood. That put my soul back into me?"

Savitar nodded again, "A soul is a funny thing. It has a very specific home and it usually wants to stay in its home. When outside forces intervene, say your basic Greek god with an attitude, that soul keeps trying to get back to where it belongs unless it's trapped. Your soul could have returned to you at any point but it was comfortable with Phae so it stayed with her until now. Brings a whole new meaning to soul mates huh?"

"So when you told me to keep doing what I was doing you really meant it didn't you?"

"Still pains me to say it but yes. You know its damn squicky telling you not only to sleep with my sister but to go to town on her neck." He shivered in mock horror and stuck his tongue out. "I mean yuck!"

"Okay, how much more will it take?"

"Well I'm pretty damn grossed out already but she's got a much stronger stomach that I do." Savitar looked over at Ash who was rolling his eyes in disgust, "Oh you mean the blood thing? Probably not much more, I honestly can't tell you. But, good news here, once it's all home where it belongs you should be able to create that escape clause we talked about."

"All right, so when did Nick start talking to me again?"

"Whoa, massive gear change there. Uh, I don't know? You'd have to ask him about that."

Ash nodded once and stood back up, "Fine then I'll talk to him and get back to business."

Savitar curled up his lip and stuck his tongue out again, "You mean get back to boinking my sister don't you?"

Acheron smiled that wicked grin he had and walked off.


	34. Chapter 34

Nick was still sitting in the meeting hall, tapping away at the laptop when Ash returned. Looking over Nick's shoulder he could see the Dark-Hunter website and he wondered if Nick knew that he wasn't supposed to be letting people know he was alive.

"It's really damned annoying when you loom over me like that," Nick said.

"Sorry. So why the change of heart?"

Nick closed the laptop and sighed, "Would you believe that a beautiful woman talked some sense into me?"

"Right about now I'd believe just about anything. It's been a strange day," Ash explained as he sat down next to Nick. "So a beautiful woman talked sense into you. And?"

"And, she gave me a lot to think about. Which I did. And now I see some of what happened that I didn't see before."

Ash nodded, "Nick, I wish I could explain to you how sorry I am. I wish I could take back what happened but I can't and it hurts me more than you can imagine to have to live with it."

"Can we not get all sappy here Ash? I still don't forgive you totally but I'm working on it. Give me some more time to work all of this out and maybe we can start again. Right now, well I just want you to know that it's not all your fault."

Studying Nick's face he could see the lingering hurt in his eyes and the tightness of his jaw, "Fine. I'm sorry Nick. I really am." Not wanting it push this new peace between them he stood up and headed for the door that would take him back to Katoteros.

&&&&&&

Alicia was leading a tour group around the zoo when she noticed Ash leaning against a railing watching her. She smiled and gave him a little finger wave. He tilted his head to request she come over to him and she motioned that she'd be right over. She left the group staring at the zebra pen and skipped over to him.

"Can we talk somewhere private?" he asked in a low voice.

"I have to finish this tour then I'm all yours."

He nodded and crossed his arms, "I'll wait at your place if that's okay?"

"Will you be naked when I get there?"

His eyebrows shot up and he grinned at her, showing a small amount of fang, "If that's what you want."

She nodded enthusiastically and skipped back to her group calling back over her shoulder, "Then I'll hurry."

&&&&&&

"Ash?" she called as she walked into the apartment and tossed her keys on the table by the door. "You here babe?"

"In here," he called from the bedroom.

"Oooo, you listened didn't you?"

"As my lady commands."

Stripping her clothes off as fast as she could she hurried into the bedroom and was delighted to find him lying on the bed in his natural state of perfection. "Damn," she breathed. She crawled up the bed like a stalking cat, licking and nipping at his flesh as she rose until she was lying in the crook of his arm snuggled against him.

"We should talk," he murmured.

Alicia rose up on her elbow and studied his face. She could see the pain washing over his features and she knew that he'd figured it all out. "Oh. Okay then." She sat up on the bed and hung her head sadly.

"I'm so sorry Phae."

"Why are you sorry?"

He swallowed and continued, "The burden you had to carry all this time. The…knowledge of it all."

"Ash, you gave me a gift that I have treasured for eleven thousand years. Don't be sorry." She held his face in her hand and smiled at him with all the love she had for him, "If it were not for what you gave me so long ago, I never would have had the strength to continue. Savitar saved me from oblivion but only your love could keep me sane."

"Did you know you were pregnant?"

"Yes, I was coming to tell you when she…when she killed me. You never knew what happened to me did you?"

He shook his head no, "Tell me."

"I discovered I was pregnant and I was so happy. Nothing could ever have made me happier than that. I was on my way to tell you when I was stopped by a woman in the village asking for my help. I should have known it was her but I couldn't see it. I was so blinded by happiness I never saw it."

Ash sighed and looked tenderly at her, "I waited for you all afternoon and into the night. You never came. Oh Sati, I couldn't even look for you. The guards found me and took me back." A single tear rolled down his cheek and onto her arm.

"Enough my love. Nothing will ever take me away from you again. And soon enough we will resume our lives from where she stole them."

&&&&&&&&

Ash lay in a cloud of bliss with Alicia at his side, her hair fanned out over his shoulder. She had changed the subject of her death by kissing him and that of course led to other more intimate activities. Giving in to the base instincts that guided him now he fed at her neck again and she allowed it, even encouraged it, knowing that it was the key to his soul. Plus the level of ecstasy that it brought her was like nothing she'd ever dreamed of.

"I feel odd," she murmured from where she lay on his chest. "Something doesn't feel right."

He thought about it for a moment and realized that he knew why, "You aren't carrying my soul anymore."

"Is that it?" She sighed loudly, almost sad that it was gone. "I guess I got used to it."

"Hmmm, and again, I thank you for that." He kissed her head and snuggled her closer to him. "Did you ever love anyone else?"

"I shouldn't answer that."

Smiling at her evasion of his question he smacked her thigh. "Tell me."

"I was reincarnated more than once. I always knew there was someone I was supposed to love but I just never figured out who."

"You never did find me until now." Ash tangled his fingers in her hair and delighted in the soft silk of it. "How many lives?"

She thought for a moment, "Six hundred and fourteen."

"Oh Sati. And did you ever remember any of it?"

"Right now I know all of it, every birth, every death, everything. Each time was like a clean slate. I always knew there was someone for me but…well."

"Did you ever marry anyone? Have children?"

She laughed, "Marry yes, children, no. Apparently no one in the universe can get me pregnant but you." She rose back up on the bed and threw her leg over his, "Speaking of that, we should try that one more time."

Sighing softly as she slid him up into her warmth he chuckled, "You're going to be the death of me."


	35. Chapter 35

Alicia woke the next morning with a smile on her lips and the gentle warmth of Ash's body on her own. She studied the gorgeous body of the man she loved and couldn't help grinning and silently thanking the powers that put them together. Sliding out from under his arm she put on a robe and padded into the kitchen to search for something to eat.

She was in the middle of frying some eggs when he walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, "Morning," he breathed as he kissed her neck.

Turning around to kiss him she realized he was still naked and apparently quite happy to see her. "And you think I'm going to be the death of you?"

"Mmmm, well you heard your brother say something about screwing like bunnies right?"

"Ha! Since when do I listen to him?"

Ash playfully pouted at her, "So you don't want me? Is that it?"

"Damn you men and your infuriating selves. Can I eat first please? I'm starving here."

He laughed and spun her back around to finish her cooking. Not wanting to let her go however, he kept his arms around her and playfully explored the soft skin under her robe. Eventually she relented to his touch and turned back around, allowing her robe to fall open so he could get to the parts he was searching for.

"Oooo, I like that," he purred as he noted where Xiovar had rested on her chest. The demon had placed himself under her breasts with his wings fanned out and cradling the swells of them. Bending to take her in his mouth she moaned and allowed him to minister to her.

Soon the eggs were forgotten and they were back in the bedroom.

&&&&&&

"Ash, I really have to go to work," Alicia said as she rose from the bed.

"No, you really don't," he grinned trying to keep her there. They had spent nearly four days together and he didn't want her to leave. He was desperately afraid that if he let her out of his sight he'd never see her again. Shaking that thought out of his head and chiding himself for being foolish he sighed heavily and let her go.

"Nothing's going to happen. Xiovar is with me and there are other 'people' looking out for me too."

"I know. I just can't lose you again."

"Ash, I've lived and died six hundred and thirteen times now. I've got a pretty large chip on my shoulder. If she comes after me she is going to have one hell of a fight. I know I'm human but I will not go out quietly." Xiovar squirmed on her chest and she hissed in pain, "He says 'yeah!'."

Ash laughed at the demon's newfound affection for her. She certainly had a way of making people like her. Alicia had managed to make friends with people that ordinarily wouldn't even talk to a human. Wren spoke to her like they were best friends and Wren didn't speak to anyone for years. Ilarion had called Ash's cell phone asking when she could come back and hang out with him again, and Xiovar, after all his bluster and show had fallen madly in love with her in his own fashion. Of course her introducing him to movies, especially the Star Wars series, had helped in that love.

"Fine, be stubborn."

Alicia planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Ha! You're one to talk about stubborn. You know, when you finally do get off your lazy ass and get me pregnant I'm gonna hate you because your child is going to be such a little hellion."

"My child? You won't have anything to do with it huh?"

She couldn't hold the act any longer and she collapsed onto the bed in a peal of laughter. "I love you. Even if you are a pain in the ass."

&&&&&&

Ash picked her up that night from the zoo. She was waiting out in front of the gates talking to Peter when he pulled up in a black Ferrari. "Whoa! Where'd you get this?"

"Call him a business partner,' he grinned as he opened the door for her. "Hello Peter, how are you tonight?"

"Good Ash, hot date tonight?"

Ash laughed, "Yeah but don't tell Alicia will you?" He waved goodbye to the other man and got back into the car to find Alicia playing with all of the controls and knobs on the dashboard. "Having fun?"

She grinned at him, "Never been in one of these before. So where are we off to?"

"Back to your place to change, dinner, dancing, then I should probably ravish you several times. Sound good?"

"Mmmmm, can we skip the dinner and dancing part?"

"Yeah, but that'd make the car pretty useless."

Alicia smiled at him wickedly and pulled her shirt up over her head, "You old fogies have no idea what can be done in a car do you?"

&&&&&&&

"Okay, I'm going to get one of those myself. Perhaps several if that's what happens in them," Ash said as he carried Alicia up the stairs to her apartment. "Wow."

"So do I get fed now?"

He nibbled on her neck as he walked, "Something like that." He carried her into the apartment and set her on the bed next to the waiting tray that had a perfect red rose, a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and two glasses of champagne on it.

She looked at them and laughed, "You sure know how to charm a girl don't you?"

"Comes with the god part. Plus I've had lots of time to practice."

Suddenly her face fell and she sat up on her knees and looked at him. "Okay, I have no right to be jealous but damn it I am now."

He knelt next to her and put her face in his hands, "You have no reason to be. There is no one but you. Ever."

"What about Artemis?"

Ash sighed, "That was different."

"How? How is that different Ash? You loved her didn't you?"

He leaned back on the bed and looked sadly at her, "Yes, for a time."

She nodded as if she accepted the fact and snuggled up under his arm, "All I ever ask is the truth."

"That's all you will ever get from me," he said as he kissed her head. "You're not mad?"

"Ash! I was married a whole lot of those lives you know. Are you mad?"

"No, I could never be mad at you."

She got up and straddled his waist, "You say that now but that may change. I can just see it now, I'll be all fat and waddling and you won't have any time for me. You'll be doing everything in your power to avoid me. I'll be hormonally insane and all I'll have is a demon who won't talk to me because I'm a nut ball."

"A nut ball huh?" He kissed her and pulled her hips up a little on his lap. "Honey, you're already a nut ball. Who else would stand up to a Charonte? Besides, you'll have Simi to keep you company. Believe me that is one shopping opportunity she will not pass up."


	36. Chapter 36

A few days later Alicia was doing her rounds at the zoo when another Charonte attacked her. She startled when it appeared and began backing up but was stopped by a cage behind her. This was a different demon but not a bit less scary. It loomed over her and spread it's wings, "You will die now human," it screeched.

"I think not," came a growl from behind it. The Charonte turned to find Xiovar standing there glaring at it with a look that could melt rock. "You will not harm my Akra. You will return to your mistress and inform her that my Akra _will not_ be harmed. Do you understand?"

Rationality was apparently a shortcoming of the other Charonte because it hissed and lunged for Xiovar. The crashed into each other and vanished as Xiovar flashed them out of the zoo and the sight of any of the humans. Alicia quickly made her way to the cathouse where she sat at her desk and trembled. She had been expecting that to happen and Xiovar had assured her that eventually it would but that he would defend her with his life. Still she was now unprotected and sooner or later Apollymi would figure that fact out. She picked up the phone and called Ash's cell phone but got no answer. She hung up and tried calling Amanda next. If she could make it to Amanda and Kyrian's house she'd be safe because there were so many wards on their house it was surprising that _anything_ got in. When Amanda answered Alicia quickly asked of she could come over and explained the situation in as little detail as she could. Once Amanda told her to come over she hung up the phone and ran for her car. If she was on the move it would be harder for the demons to find her but eventually they would.

She drove as fast as she could get away with and not get pulled over and sped around the corner into Amanda's driveway screeching to a halt in front of the house. Amanda was standing in the doorway waiting for her to her relief when she got out of the car and made a break for the stairs. She jogged up them as quickly as she could and had just reached the top when she was grabbed from behind.

The demon that had popped into existence behind her yanked her backwards and threw her to the ground in the yard. It screamed in anger as it whirled around and flew down the stairs towards her.

Alicia scooted backwards as best she could but the demon was coming at her too fast. It lunged at her and then screamed in pain as a sword slammed in between it's shoulder blades. She had no idea where _that_ had come from but she wasn't going to stop to investigate. Getting up as the demon screamed in pain and tried to get the sword out she ran for the stairs dodging wide around the flailing beast. Amanda was screaming her name as she dodged around the demon and she saw Kyrian running just in front of her also headed for the door and safety.

The demon realized she was escaping and it dove for her, managing to rake her back and legs with its claws. The pain of the cuts spurred her on and she raced up the stairs and into the door and into Kyrian's arms as Amanda slammed the door shut behind her. Alicia collapsed in a ball as the pain of the cuts drove into her burning like fire. Kyrian picked her up and carried her up the stairs to a bed where he put her down gently and ripped her shirt the rest of the way open to examine her wounds.

"Oh crap," Amanda said as she bolted into the room with a first aid kit and saw the damage that had been done to her friend's back. "Kyrian, call Ash will you?"

Amanda sat on the edge of the bed and carefully peeled the rest of shredded shirt from Alicia's back, dabbing at the cuts with a wet towel that Kyrian had grabbed from the bathroom. "Oh honey, what the hell was that?"

Alicia gritted her teeth and hissed, "Charonte."

"Why was it after you?"

"Long story. You see things like this all the time?"

Amanda laughed as she cleaned the cuts, "You'd be surprised. Hold still hon. I know this hurts but I've got to get them cleaned out."

Kyrian came back into the room a few minutes later and tossed the phone on the bed, "He's not answering. Alicia you want to explain why there's a bleeding demon in my front yard?"

She turned her head to look up at him, "Hey you were the one that stabbed it. Thank you by the way."

"Hey I can't let friends get eaten here, raises the insurance rates like you wouldn't believe."

She giggled at that until it hurt and hissed as Amanda moved down to her legs, "Well it wasn't trying to eat me. Oh and a sword won't kill a Charonte by the way."

"Do I want to know how you know this?"

"Probably not. You know you're probably not getting that sword back."

Kyrian chuckled, "S'okay, I've got more."

"And just how long have you two been a part of the insane side of life?"

Amanda laughed as she tended Alicia, "Longer than you can imagine in his case. Me, not so much but I learn fast."

Alicia pushed herself up from the bed and looked at them critically. "Ah, former Dark Hunter huh?"

Kyrian's eyes bulged, "How did you know that?"

"Like Ash says, I'm older than I look."

Amanda finished cleaning out the cuts and covered them with gauze as best she could then she helped Alicia sit up. "Should I ask about that because as far as I know you're the same age I am?"

Alicia figured that there wasn't any harm in telling Amanda and Kyrian some of the truth, he was a Dark Hunter and Amanda wasn't exactly uninformed herself. "I am the same age as you. This time." Waiting for that to sink in she nodded when Amanda's face brightened. "Yeah, been around a few times now."

"Huh, like Sunshine I guess." Kyrian said. "Oh, friend of ours that got reincarnated by a goddess who happened to be her grandmother."

Alicia nodded, "Yeah something like that. Not my grandmother though. But I seem to have a thing to do that pissed off a certain goddess and now she wants me dead."

Amanda grinned at her, "Not big on the details huh? No matter, as long as you're safe. So how do you go about stopping this goddess?"

"Oh you _so _do not want to know that." She was about to continue when the doorbell rang.

Kyrian looked nervously at her and then went to the window to look out. "Uh, there's another demon out there."

"And it rang the door bell?" Amanda asked. "Now I've seen everything."

"Help me down stairs will ya? I think that's my demon." Alicia rose slowly from the bed as Amanda and Kyrian stared at her in disbelief. "What?"


	37. Chapter 37

Kyrian walked down the stairs slowly with his arm around Alicia's waist in case she fell. Her knees felt like rubber and she stumbled more than once. Amanda trailed behind them, worried about what could be on the other side of the front door and becoming annoyed that the bell had been rung several more times as the demon outside grew impatient.

"So what, this demon is a door to door salesman in his spare time?" Amanda asked.

"Not that I'm aware of, but everyone needs a hobby you know."

"Oh, you have _so_ much explaining to do Ally."

They finally reached the front hallway and Alicia walked over and put her hand on the door. She closed her eyes and waited a moment and the demon on the other side said "Alicia?"

"Okay, that one's mine, let him in."

Kyrian hesitated with his hand on the doorknob, "I don't know if he'll be able to come in. There's so many wards on here that I don't comprehend they may not let him in."

Alicia looked over at him and motioned for him to open the door, "Its okay, Simi comes in right?"

Amanda blinked in confusion, "Simi? But…"

Alicia reached for the doorknob and opened the door to find a very upset looking Xiovar on the other side holding Kyrian's bloody sword. Alicia poked her head out the door and looked around. "Where'd it go?"

"I have removed it. May I enter?" Xiovar asked Kyrian guessing that he was the head of the household.

"Sure, why the hell not?"

Xiovar limped into the house carefully and handed the sword to Kyrian, "Yours I think." Then he hissed at Alicia's back and he bent to examine her wounds. "This has been cleaned?" he asked looking at Amanda.

She was still trying to process the bit of information about Simi and she gaped at the demon in her foyer and nodded dumbly. "Simi's a demon too? Why does no one ever tell me these things?"

Kyrian put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek, "Honey you're supposed to be a psychic remember? You shouldn't need us to tell you these things."

Xiovar was fretting over Alicia who kept assuring him that she was fine. "If you allow me to I can heal some of the damage," he said gently.

"This is going to hurt isn't it?"

He grinned at her with huge fangs and burning ember eyes, "No more than when you got them."

"Fine, do your stuff Yoda."

The demon bowed at her and chuckled at her Star Wars reference before he turned into mist and placed himself over her back. She clenched her jaw fiercely and hissed in pain as he settled against her but then the pain subsided and she relaxed.

Amanda wandered over and studied the demon's form on her friend's back and suddenly realized where she'd seen it before. "That looks kinda like Ash's tattoo."

Kyrian nodded at her, "Now you're getting it."

Amanda pinched her nose to fend off the headache that she was getting, "Oh I so need a drink."

"Why don't I get us all a drink and then we can hear this story." Kyrian said before wandering off to the kitchen. Amanda glared at Alicia who shrugged and headed to the living room.

&&&&&&

They sat around the coffee table sipping glasses of wine as Alicia told the story. Of course she left much of it out, mainly Ash's involvement as anything more than a friend but once she told them about her first life in Atlantis they put the pieces together.

"Okay, so only Atlantean nobility can control Charontes right?" Kyrian asked. He had a little bit more information about Ash's past than Amanda because he'd known Ash for several thousand years. He also had an extensive knowledge of ancient history since he'd been alive for a lot of it. While his past was long after the time of Atlantis the stories of the island paradise were still told in his youth. Alicia nodded at his question. "So then you're what a princess or something?"

Alicia couldn't help but laugh, "Far from it. I was the daughter of a very poor farmer."

"So how…?"

She shrugged and reached for the wine bottle, "What can I say, I've got spunk."

Amanda was processing all of this information very slowly but she was accepting it none the less. She'd seen far too many things that shouldn't make any sense to doubt it now. "So that demon is like a body guard?" she said pointing at Alicia's back.

"Yes, he's really quite nice actually. I'm sorry I should probably introduce you to him. Xiovar? If you would please?"

The demon detached himself from her back and swirled into his human form beside her. Amanda's eyes bulged and Kyrian just sat back patiently. "Amanda and Kyrian Hunter, this is Xiovar of the Charonte."

"Greetings to the friends of my lady."

"Hello…" Amanda said weakly. "Weird."

The front door opened and Tabitha walked in carrying a grinning Marissa. "Yo people I'm home with the midget," she called.

"In here Tabby," Kyrian yelled back.

They came through the doorway and Marissa launched herself out of Tabby's arms into her father's chattering happily about how much fun she had with Aunt Tabby. Tabitha looked from her sister to Alicia to the demon and grinned, "Hey Ally, hey Joe."

Xiovar smiled and waved back, "Tabitha. Your sister is quite charming."

Amanda's jaw dropped, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You know the demon?"

Tabitha nodded, "Sure, big fan of Star Wars. Not a fan of Coke. Cool guy."

"I totally need to get out more," Amanda sighed.


	38. Chapter 38

"So what's going on?" Tabitha asked as she took in the motley crew in her sister's living room.

"Oh Alicia was just explaining some things to us," Kyrian said calmly.

Tabby clapped her hands together and ran out of the room. A few seconds later she came back with another bottle of wine and another glass. Plopping down on the couch next to her sister she looked anxiously at Alicia. "I love a good story. Catch me up somebody."

Kyrian laughed at his sister in law. Nothing ever threw her off kilter. "Alicia is a lot older than she looks. Nasty goddess wants to kill her. Xiovar is her body guard. Did I miss anything?"

"Cool," Tabitha said nodding her head. "So, like how much older?"

Kyrian grinned, "A whole lot."

"Whoa, like older than you grandpa?"

Amanda shivered a little at the 'grandpa' comment as Kyrian said, "Yes Tabby, older than me."

"Damn girl, you look good for your age then!"

Alicia laughed and Xiovar looked puzzled. "I'm really not that old this go round. I'm the same age you are."

Tabby's eyes lit up, "Ooo reincarnation huh? Cool."

Amanda shook her head in wonder at her sister, "Absolutely nothing phases you does it?"

"Have you _met_ this family? Right, so how many lives have you had?"

Alicia sipped her wine and looked at Tabby over the top of her glass. Having met their family she could totally understand Tabitha's non chalance. With psychics, voodoo priestesses, vampires and assorted other odd balls she couldn't have had a choice but to accept the unexplained. "Let's just say a whole lot. I make Shirley MacLaine look like an amateur."

Tabby sat up on the edge of the couch, "So do you have like any cool powers or anything?"

"Nope, strictly human. Albeit I do have a bound demon and some pretty interesting friends but nothing special here."

"Rats, I was hoping for some mayhem."

Xiovar looked at Tabitha and bared his teeth, "If you stick around long enough there will be plenty of mayhem."

"Ain't that the truth?" Came Ash's deep rumble from the foyer. "Sorry I didn't answer, a little tied up. What's the major catastrophe this time?" He walked into the living room and saw the bloody claw marks on Alicia's back. "Whoa, what'd I miss? You okay?" he said as he came around the sofa and sat next to Alicia.

"Oh a couple of Charontes with PMS. Nothing Xiovar and Kyrian couldn't handle. You okay?"

Ash's look of concern wasn't lost on anyone in the room and suddenly they had a new appreciation of just how old she may be. "Business as usual. Let me see that will you?"

She lifted up the shirt that Amanda had loaned her and Ash hissed when he saw the scratches. Xiovar looked over his mistress's shoulder at them and told Ash that they had actually been worse but that he had healed them somewhat. "Thank you Xiovar." He slid his hand over Alicia's back and the scratches faded away. "And Kyrian got in on it too?"

"Meh, old times sake." The other man shrugged.

Marissa came running back in from playing in her room. She saw Ash and ran squealing into his arms. Ash of course grabbed the little girl and threw her up in the air as she giggled in delight. Then he hugged her gently and sat her down on his knee. "How are you tonight Marissa?"

"Good," the little girl said around the thumb in her mouth. She looked around at the adults as they talked and realized that none of them were going to play with her so she began crawling back and forth across the sofa over the laps of Ash, Alicia and Xiovar all of whom tickled the little girl until she squealed with laughter. Amanda watched them appreciatively and wondered if anyone else on the planet could ever imagine that they would watch their child play with a god, and ancient reincarnated woman and a demon.


	39. Chapter 39

Alicia said goodnight to the Hunters with hugs and thanks and an assurance that she would check in regularly to let them know she was okay. Ash had promised to make sure she was safe and Xiovar vowed that nothing would harm his mistress before he returned to her chest. The rode home in Alicia's car and Ash asked her to tell him the whole story, which she did. He sat in the car with his head in his hands as she talked about how close to seriously hurting her the demons had gotten.

"Sati, if we can't keep you safe…"

"I know Ash. Believe me, I do not wish to repeat that little dance. But you know perfectly well that I can't sit in some magically warded house for however long it takes to make this thing happen. I can't just sit around twiddling my thumbs!" She looked over at him and saw the pained expression on his face, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. Baby as much as I would love to lay around making love to you all day every day that just can't happen."

Ash sighed loudly and nodded, "I know. I'll just have to come up with a better plan."

&&&&&&

The next few weeks were relatively uneventful. No demons attacked her. Several extremely boring meetings at the zoo took place and a movie marathon at Tabby & Valerius' house happened and life went on. Alicia had been spending most of her free time with Ash, both of them enjoying that immensely. Xiovar had been introduced to the joys of NetFlix by Simi and Xirena and he was rapidly going through their entire catalogue. He seemed to have a penchant for science fiction movies and anything with a significant number of explosions in it. Alicia said that made him a 'typical male' to which he replied that he was anything but.

Alicia checked in with Amanda or Kyrian every day as promised and she was extremely excited when Amanda squealed into the phone one afternoon that she was pregnant again. "Oh Mandy that's wonderful! I can't wait to start decorating a room and shop for all the cool stuff you're going to need." She really was excited for her friend but she also wanted to be able to do all of those things for herself.

They chatted about baby stuff for a while until Alicia had to leave to go out to Carson's. They'd eased into a beneficial partnership at the veterinary and Alicia genuinely enjoyed his company. She rode her motorcycle out to the edge of town and parked it in the small shed behind the kennels. Several of the dogs that Carson boarded barked happily at her and she played with a few of them before walking into the main building. "Hey Carson," she called as she hung her jacket up and stashed her helmet and gloves in a cabinet. "What's the good word?"

"Hey Alicia, come back here a sec will you?" Carson called from the back office.

Alicia waked down the short hall and heard Carson and another man back there laughing over something. She poked her head around the door and found a very well built man with shaggy dark brown hair sitting in the other chair. "Hello."

"Ah, Alicia I'd like you to meet Fury Kattalakis. Fury, Alicia Caine."

"Nice to meet you. So your mother hated you huh?"

Fury's eyes sparkled as he chuckled at her comment, "Well yes she did but how'd you know that?"

"Uh, well, she named you Fury. That kinda gives it away." Alicia actually had put it all together and realized that she was looking at the human form of the huge dog that she'd helped patch up. That made her realize that Vane must be a were-hunter too but she didn't comment on that just yet.

"Ooo, she's smart Carson!" Fury said with a grin. "You think that's bad you should meet my brother Fang."

Alicia laughed loudly, "Oh I have got to meet your mother!"

Fury stopped laughing and looked sort of sad for a moment and then smiled again, "Trust me you do not want to meet her. Anyway, thanks for helping Bride out. She was pretty freaked out about the whole thing."

"No problem, so how's the scar?"

Fury glanced over at Carson and then back at Alicia, "What?"

She pointed at his stomach and asked again, "How's the scar? Oh, wait you probably don't scar that much do you? Your healing factor is so much better than humans."

Carson actually rose from his chair and began to look worried, "What are you talking about Alicia?"

"Oh come on now boys, I'm not stupid. Fury, you're a were hunter, I'm guessing Kattagaria but you never know."

Fury's eyes bulged, "How the hell… Carson? What have you been telling her?"

Carson held his hands up in defense, "Nothing, really. Alicia? Want to explain this to me?"

She rolled her eyes and perched herself on the corner of Carson's desk. "Look, I'm not what I appear to be either. Fury, the only reason I figured it out was the dog, sorry, wolf, has the same name as you, uh hello? Carson, I know you're something more too but I'm not hazarding any guesses at the moment."

Carson laughed at her and shook his head in wonder, "Well what do you know. Yeah, I'm Gerakian."

She looked over her shoulder at the man she thought she knew, "Huh, I would have thought Lykos or Tigarian."

Fury still looked confused, "So how the hell do you know all of this? I smelled you remember? You're human."

"True, but I'm something extra too. Honey, I've been around the block more than once, several hundred times in fact but that's another story. Trust me, I'm human. Granted, I am walking around with a demon plastered to my chest but hey, nobody's perfect."

"Jeez, ya think you know someone," Carson mused. "So a demon huh? Want to enlighten us?"

Alicia rolled her eyes a little but figured there wasn't any harm in telling them. After all if the Charontes came hunting her here they should know about the danger. "Short version, nasty goddess wants me dead so she's sending her demonic hit squad after me. A friend hooked me up with a demon body guard."

"So can we expect this demonic goon squad to come calling?" Carson asked glancing towards the front of the building.

"Probably not but you'll have plenty of warning if they do. Not only will the dogs in the back go nuts but there will suddenly be a demon standing in front of me looking to hurt someone."

Fury looked like a kid with a new toy, "So can we see this demon?" Alicia grinned at him and lifted her shirt up so they could see the dragon-like tattoo over her ribcage. "Cool! And it's really a demon too?"

"Yup," she nodded as she turned so Carson could see it too. "Hang on, Xiovar? Do you mind?" The demon obediently removed himself from her skin and materialized in the small office.

"Alicia?" he growled.

"Relax, they are friends of mine. Xiovar of the Charonte, meet Carson Whitethunder and Fury Kattalakis. They are my friends."

The demon bowed slightly and cocked his head, "Are they movie fans as well?"

Alicia couldn't help but laugh as she explained to the confused men that Xiovar had discovered the joys of movie watching. Once Fury said that he too liked movies with lots of explosions, the were hunter and the demon launched into a debate as to just which movie had the best explosions. Carson rolled his eyes and led Alicia out of the office.

"You certainly do know how to surprise a guy. Any more secrets I need to know about?"

She shook her head, "Not at the moment. I just thought you should know in case something happens. I don't want you to get hurt."

He looked kindly at her and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm a lot stronger than I look, I can take care of myself."

"I know that Carson but there's not much alive that can stand up to one of these demons. Even a were. I'd be seriously upset if anything happened to you or Margie because of me."

Carson pulled her into a brotherly hug, "Honey, there's nothing we can't handle if we're determined enough and you can't possibly imagined how determined some weres protecting their family are."


	40. Chapter 40

Alicia was alone in the veterinary later that night, she'd sent Margie home because she had a date, and now she was bored. She'd flipped through several of the magazines in the waiting room, filled out some supply orders and now she had nothing left to do and three more hours till closing time. She wandered into the tiny kitchen by Carson's office and looked in the refrigerator to see if anything looked appealing. There were a few boxes from Sanctuary in there and she wasn't about to see what was in them so she closed the door again and was about to go back out front when the dizziness hit her.

She leaned heavily against the refrigerator and waited for the spinning to stop. After it had passed she got a glass of water and sipped it carefully. Once she'd finished half the glass of water she sat down at the front desk for a while and felt perfectly fine. With an hour and a half left before closing time she had a lady come in with a cat that had been found in an alley. The cat was malnourished but in relatively good health. Alicia gave it a full exam and told the woman that if she gave it some vitamins and a lot of love it should be fine in a few days.

After that she took in two dogs for boarding and once she'd settled them into their run she closed up the shop. She cleaned up the few areas of the office she'd used and mopped the floor and turned off the lights as she headed out the back door to the shed that her motorcycle was parked in. She flipped on the single light bulb and was about to get on her bike when she suddenly got dizzy again. Leaning against the wall of the shed she took a few deep breaths until the dizziness passed. Thinking that she was probably just hungry she thought about where there was to stop to eat on the way home. The only problem about spending so much time with Ash was that he didn't need to eat so it was never a priority for him. Maybe she'd picked up some of his worse habits and adopted them.

Chuckling about that thought she went back onto the main building and rooted around in the kitchen until she found a stale package of crackers and ate a few of them to tide her over until she got to a restaurant. Certainly wouldn't do to have a dizzy spell and dump her bike on the side of the road. She washed the crackers down with another glass of water and headed for the back door again. She had just put her key in the lock when she had a thought and changed direction again and went back into the building.

&&&&&&&

The motorcycle purred along the highway carrying Alicia home. She had remembered a fantastic little restaurant on the way home that had the best muffalettas anywhere and once she'd made up her mind to get one she'd zoomed off down the road. She pulled into the parking lot of the little diner a short time later, having sped most of the way there. Suddenly she had become incredibly hungry and she figured the speed wouldn't kill her.

She waved at the couple that ran the deli and waited her turn in the long line. Finally getting her chance she chatted with the wife as she made her sandwich. Alicia liked this woman a lot because she reminded her of Sophia from her old apartment. Maybe she should call Sophia and ask her to come down to visit. Deciding to think about that when she got home she grabbed a soda and took her sandwich to one of the little café tables on the patio and dug in.

She was delighting in the olive salad that dripped out of the bread onto her hands and she was happily allowing the oil to drip down to her elbows when she looked up to see three very tall, very pretty blonde men pull up on Harleys. They scanned the group of people at the diner like they were checking out a dessert cart at a fancy restaurant. Alicia turned her head slowly and followed their movement as discretely as she could but there wasn't much cover. She knew what they were and what their intentions were but she wasn't sure what they were after here so she didn't want to draw their attention. Putting the sandwich aside and wiping the oil off her fingers she studied them as they moved through the crowd looking for a victim.

One of them turned his head towards her and his eyes lit up like he'd just found the mother lode. A woman alone shouldn't be much of a challenge for three Daimons. He grinned and smacked the one in front of him in the arm to get his attention and nodded his head in Alicia's direction. Soon all three of them were gliding their way through the group of tables towards her.

Alicia smiled at them like any normal woman would when three exceptionally handsome men came her way. She studied them and was impressed by how similar they were to each other. Perhaps these ones were actually related. Or maybe all Daimons were this good looking, after all they were supposed to be a superior race. The one that had first noticed her moved aside to let the one behind him move forward, apparently this one was the leader.

He grinned at her but didn't show any fang and looked down at her. "Hey baby, looking for some fun?"

"Oh that is one of the worst pick up lines I've ever heard. Want to try again?"

"Oh a tough one huh? Why don't you take a ride with us darling and we'll show you something you'll never forget."

Alicia looked each one of them up and down carefully, no visible weapons but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. Smiling like she was interested in the offer she crooked her finger and beckoned the lead Daimon to bend over the table. When he smiled back and planted his hands on the table she motioned him even closer until he was right up in her face. "I don't think so," she whispered back.

"You'll have the time of your life baby, I promise," he purred back. "Cause darling you look good enough to eat."

When he licked his lips after that she curled her lip up in distaste. "I said, I. Don't. Think. So." She hissed at him low enough that only he could hear her words. At the same time she pulled the top of her shirt aside to show him where Xiovar was laying over her shoulder. She'd silently asked him to move upwards when she saw them come in and now he was plainly visible to the Daimon.

The Daimon looked down and realized what he was seeing and blinked in surprise. "My mistake. Have a good night," he said as he backed away from the table and into his buddies. He hustled them back out to the parking lot quickly and they all got back on their bikes and rode away. Alicia sat chuckling to herself as they left. "Oh I have got to do that again," she said to herself as she finished her sandwich.

&&&&&&&

When she finally got home and parked her bike in the tiny garage space she'd been assigned she felt relieved that her day was over. Climbing the stairs to her apartment she thought about watching a movie with Xiovar but then decided it may just be better to try to get some sleep. "Hello? Ash you home?" she called as she put her keys on the table.

None of the lights in the apartment were on but that wasn't unusual, for some reason Ash enjoyed sitting in the dark. When she flipped the switch that turned on the kitchen light she found a vase with a dozen perfect red roses in it on the counter and a note next to it.

"Had to see to some business out of town. I love you. Call if you need me," The note read. It was in Ash's neat Atlantean scrawl and no one would be able to read the note but her. Smiling she put the note back down next to the vase and breathed in the sweet scent of the roses.

"Guess it's movie night after all," she said to the empty room.

&&&&&&&

She convinced Xiovar to watch the movie A Knight's Tale with her because it was one of her favorites and he had enjoyed it even though he insisted that there was no such word as 'fong'. Alicia giggled as she explained that it was similar to mutilation but not as messy. Still not believing her he'd argued for a while until she couldn't keep a straight face anymore and collapsed into hysterics on the couch. Xiovar pouted a little after he realized that she was making fun of him but then the dance scene came on and he forgot about everything as David Bowie's voice filled the room.

"Who is that?" he growled in appreciation.

"Bowie. Nearly godlike in his perfection," she said.

"He is Atlantean then?"

Alicia laughed again, "Not quite. I'll get you some more of his music tomorrow okay?"

"I would like that." Xiovar made her rewind the movie seven times to hear the song again and she relented because she liked it too but after the seventh time she put an end to it.

When the movie was over she said she was tired and he returned to her chest as she snuggled into her bed to sleep.

&&&&&&&

The next day she had promised Amanda that they would go shopping. She drove over to the Hunter's house and picked her friend up and headed for the mall. They had been talking about things to get for the baby's room for a few days and now it was time to start buying. They chattered excitedly as they searched for a parking spot and Alicia related the tale of the Daimons in the café the previous night. Amanda giggled at the story but then admonished her friend that she needed to be more careful in the future.

Once in the huge mall Alicia asked if they could find a music store and explained that Xiovar had discovered Bowie. "Well at least he's got good taste," Amanda chuckled.

"Well of course he does, he is bound to me remember?"

They shopped for a few hours until Amanda announced she was starving and they headed for the food court. Once there they were assaulted with the various smells of the cooking food and suddenly Alicia felt sick. "I gotta go get some air okay? I'll be back in a minute." She walked back out of the doorway in the food court and sat on a bench near the doorway in the hot but fresh air. Taking deep breaths until the wave of sickness passed she watched the people walking past and enjoyed the colorful parade of humanity. Sitting there enjoying the moment, she missed the first ring of her cell phone in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hey Alicia, it's Peter. I hate to bug you on your day off but we're having a little bit of a trouble with the pregnant jag. I was wondering if there was anyway you could swing by and work your mojo on her."

Alicia laughed at his phrasing, "Sure Peter. I'm out shopping with Amanda right now how urgent is it?"

"Well she won't eat and she won't let anyone near her and she's whining but she should make it till your done. If anything changes I'll call you okay?"

"Sounds good, I'll see you in a while then," she said and hung up her phone. She put it back in her pocket and walked back into the food court. This time the wave of smells coming from inside didn't phase her at all and she wandered over to where Amanda was happily devouring a plate of Chinese food. "You keep eating like that and you'll make my elephants look skinny," she teased.

"Hey! I can't help it, Kyrian never feeds me."

Alicia gaped in mock surprise, "What? Oh the fiend must pay! We'll have to think up something really dastardly to exact our retribution!"

Amanda giggled and yawned, "I think I'll just have another girl to annoy him. Does that work for you?"

"Sure, why not?"

&&&&&&

The two women shopped for another hour, finding several sets of neutral sheets and towels on sale that Amanda decided she couldn't pass up. Alicia found a record store and bought Xiovar four Bowie CDs and a Rolling Stones greatest hits album she thought he'd enjoy too. Once Alicia dropped Amanda back off at the house she headed over to the zoo and listened to the Stones album on the way.

Whistling "Satisfaction" as she walked into the cathouse she greeted Peter and the rest of the staff with a grin and a wave. "So how's she doing?"

"Not so good, she'd amped up the whining and now she won't stop pacing." Lisa the college student that was doing her residency at the zoo said.

Alicia grabbed one of the wheeled stools from a desk and sat on it as she rolled herself over next to the cage wall. The jaguar hissed and grunted as she paced back and forth her ears pinned back and her tail flicking from side to side. "What's wrong pretty girl?" Alicia cooed as she watched the cat stalking.

Fifteen minutes went by as Alicia studied the pregnant cat and everyone was waiting for an official pronouncement but all the got was occasional snippets of Stones songs. Peter was starting to get anxious when Alicia suddenly got up from the stool and walked over to the locked medicine cabinet. Pulling a vial of medicine from it she put a dose of it in a tranquilizer dart and grabbed the long metal tube they used for sedating the cats at close range. Then she walked back over to the cage and blew the dart into the flank of the jaguar eliciting a roar of anger. The cat turned and rubbed the dart out of her flank and resumed her pacing.

"So? What's the matter?" Lisa asked.

"Nothing really, she's got a tummy ache. She'll be fine in about twenty minutes." Alicia said as she wheeled around the desks on the stool.

"Why do I always feel like a total idiot around you?" Peter whined. "I've got a full degree in the same thing you do but I couldn't figure out that a cat had a stomach ache? Where did I go wrong?"

Alicia laughed and swatted him on the butt as she rolled past him, "Maternal instincts pal, you ain't got em." He looked so confused it was cute so she explained further. "She's a first time mother, she has no clue what she's doing. Her stomach aches so she's worried that there's something wrong with her cub. Hence the pacing and whining. Plus if you looked closely enough at her you could see the stilted walking on the hind legs. She was trying not to jostle anything that could harm the cub. Now, snatch the pebble from my hand."

Lisa laughed at the reference to Kung Fu and Peter hung his head, "I hate you."

"No you do not ya big dork. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see a lady about a monkey."


	41. Chapter 41

Alicia wandered into the backside of the monkey house and waved at Elizabeth Watkins, the zoo's primate specialist. Elizabeth had promised Alicia that she would take some pictures of the new baby chimpanzee that no one else would see for a few more months so Alicia could give them to Marissa. Alicia chatted with the woman for a few minutes and they watched the chimps fawning over the baby.

"These shots came out great Liz, Marissa's going to love them."

"No problem, she was so fascinated with them when they came by that I couldn't resist, she's such a cutie."

Alicia shook her head, "Uh-oh, another person trapped by Marissa's evil power. She will rule the world sooner than I thought."

They laughed over that and Alicia thanked her for the pictures promising the other woman that they would get together for lunch soon. Alicia was looking at the pictures as she walked out of the building and suddenly got an idea. Heading for her car she got in it, tossed the pictures on the passenger seat and sped off to find what she needed.

&&&&&&

Ash didn't return for four more days. He had called every night to check in and tell Alicia that he loved her. She kept telling him that everything was fine but he could hear the falseness in her voice. She finally told him about the incident with the Daimons and he chuckled at the response she got from them. "You be careful Sati, next time they might be Spathi and you really don't want to mess with them."

"I know, I know. Everyone has already told me that I was being stupid but I couldn't help myself. I'll be more careful next time." She sighed heavily and asked one more time, "So when are you coming home?"

"Soon, I have one more thing I have to take care of before I come home. Alicia," he paused for a long time and she had almost begun to think he wasn't there anymore. "Satira, I am sorry."

"For what Ash?"

"I have to speak with Artemis."

"Ash, that's okay. I understand you have to deal with her." He sighed again and she started to think there was something more he wasn't saying. "What's wrong baby?"

"I have to ask her for something that she will exact a high price from me for."

She thought about it for a moment and had an inkling of what that price may be. "I understand Acheron. Do what you must but know that I love you no matter the price," she whispered in Atlantean.

Suddenly he was standing behind her, wrapping himself around her and pulling her lips to his own. She dropped the phone on the floor and threw herself into his embrace. Ash devoured her mouth with his own and his excitement was very obvious as he pressed his eager body to hers. When he pulled away she asked him what he was doing there and then didn't care anymore as he carried her into the bedroom.

&&&&&&&&

He looked at her and lost himself in her eyes. She was straddling his waist and running her fingers through his hair still whispering words of love to him in the afterglow of their lovemaking. "Sati, I'm so sorry I have to ask so much of you."

She laughed softly and cupped his face in her hand, "You ask for nothing I'm not willing to give." Smiling at him she leaned closer to him and put her lips to his ear. Breathing gently and saying words that only he could hear, she told him what she'd been dying to share with him for several days now, "I'm pregnant."

He whipped his head back and stared at her, his swirling silver eyes flashing like a stormy sea. "You…?"

She nodded and smiled at him. "I wasn't sure about it but I checked today. Yup."

Pulling her into a seriously rib crushing hug he buried his face in her neck and soon she could feel the moisture from his tears against her skin. Whispering softly to him she rocked him, gently comforting him. She held him like that for a long time, embracing him with her warmth and all of the love she could give him.

Eventually he looked up at her and the look of sadness in his eyes made her chest ache, "What's the matter?" she asked.

"I can't go to Artemis now."

"Why not? I don't get it."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, finding the gentlest way to tell her, "Artemis will only give me what I need to get from her for a very steep price, one I am no longer willing to pay."

"Satiros, you must do what is necessary. If it means that she will exact that price from your flesh, I will not say no. You have an obligation to many people other than me. I know that and I live with it, you should be able to live with it too."

"Phae, you don't seem to understand what the thing she will want from me is."

She traced his jaw with her finger, "Oh I think I do. How could any woman not want the pleasure you can give her? She may be a goddess but she still knows what a woman wants. And baby, you are the sexiest man ever to walk this planet so…"

He laughed at how she waggled her eyebrows at the last part, "But, Phae I will not submit to her whims when,…well, I won't forsake you."

"Oh Ash, how can you think that? Who have you loved for eleven thousand years? Not her right? I know where I fit into the grand scheme of things and I know who carries your heart and your soul. And now I have something else that you've given me and she can never take that away." He looked at her with so much love in his eyes that she felt like she would drown in the depths of them. "Plus, after this is all over and you and Sav hook me up with awesome goddess powers, I'm gonna have some words with her."


	42. Chapter 42

Alicia spent several days with Amanda and Kyrian while she waited for Ash to return from Olympus. He'd explained to her that he was trying to retrieve another of his Dark-Hunter's soul's from Artemis and again Alicia told him that he had to do what he knew was the right thing. He truly didn't want to have to go to Artemis, not only because he wanted to be only with Alicia but because he really hated Artemis and her trickery.

"Is there another way to get the soul back?" she asked patiently.

"No."

"Then do what you have to. Everyone deserves to be with their true love, even if it does take eleven thousand years to get back together." He nodded and kissed her softly before flashing himself off to the mountain.

&&&&&

Acheron entered the outer areas of Artemis' temple on Olympus and as the attendants scattered he sighed and trudged into her main living quarters. The goddess was laying on her couch looking for all the world like she'd been expecting him even though he hadn't announced his intentions to her.

"Acheron dearest, what brings you here?" Her tone was sweet but he could almost see the venom dripping from her tongue. "It's been too long since I've seen you, I was afraid you'd found another pastime."

"Wouldn't that just be a shame?" he snarled. "Okay, let's cut the crap shall we? I want Joseph's soul and I'm not in the mood to play your stupid games."

She aped at his brazenness, "How dare you? I will do no such thing." She sat up on her chair and stared daggers at him.

"Oh for pity's sake Artie, you and I have been playing idiotic games for thousands of years. It's time to act like adults now."

Artemis was not the type of being who cared to be talked to like a child. She certainly acted like one but being talked down to only served to make her mad. And pissing off the goddess of the hunt was never a good idea. He could see her jaw clenching as she ground her teeth together in anger. She knew better than to lash out at him for no reason so she wouldn't unless he pushed her too far. She paced around her chair digging her nails into her palms and glaring at him. "I do not play games with you Acheron."

He laughed deeply and nodded at her misguided sense of reality. "Artie, all you ever do is play games. And play time is over. Give me Joseph's soul and I'll be on my way, no muss no fuss."

Suddenly changing her stance she smiled wickedly at him, "I won't give it to you but you can earn it from me."

"Oh for crying out loud! You know I can withstand any of your games and I always outwit you so why don't we just cut to the chase and you give me the soul?"

She stamped her foot on the floor and stuck her lip out in a pout, "No. You earn it from me or you don't get it."

His eyes swirled dangerously as he stalked over and glared down at her, "Let me make myself clear. I am not in the mood. Give me the soul."

Artemis laughed at him knowing that she held the upper hand, "So where have you been? I've missed you terribly." She seemed to think that changing the subject would put him off the quest for the soul.

"I've had other things to do."

She started walking around him trailing her fingertips across his arms and chest. "That's not what I mean and you know it. You haven't fed in a very long time. Wouldn't do to lose that precious humanity of yours."

He tried to restrain his anger but her words made him think of Alicia and he felt much calmer as he pictured her face. "Don't need it," he growled through a clenched jaw.

Artemis' eyes bulged at that. She knew how much he valued his humanity. It was like a moral crusade for him to keep a tight reign on his more human side and never let the demonic side of him escape. "Now I don't believe that at all. You're pushing my leg."

"Pulling," it came out automatically now. She always tried to uses human colloquialisms and never got them right. He'd been correcting her for so long it was second nature now. "Sorry Artie but I just don't need you anymore." It actually made him feel good to be able to tell her that after all of the time he'd spent practically enslaved to her. "It hurts doesn't it? I'll bet it just burns you up inside to hear me say that. Listen to it again. I. Don't. Need. You. Anymore. Man that feels good!" Now he was rubbing it in but he couldn't help himself. She had put him through so much torture in the centuries she'd held sway over him that it was simply necessary to show her that he was free.

"Oh I think you do need me Acheron. I have your soul after all and you…."

"Uh, no."

"What?"

"I said, no. You do not have my soul." He was grinning at her now. He could feel the tables turning on her and it amused him greatly.

"I do so! I have all of the Dark Hunters' souls. Yours included."

He leaned over her and glared at her, "Look closer Artie." She studied him for a moment and her eyes grew wider than he though could be possible. The look on her face was priceless and he laughed mightily. "That's right, _I_ have my soul. Now say it with me…you have no power over me."

"But…how…Apollo said…" she stammered.

Ash brushed past her and draped his body across her sofa, "Your brother lied to you. He never had my soul. What he took from me wasn't complete so he couldn't hold it. He gave you a lie and you believed it. Oh that's rich."

She spun to face him and the anger on her face radiated off her in waves. Ash almost cringed at her reaction but he wouldn't let her know she had affected him. He finally had the upper hand in their relationship and he wasn't about to give it back. "You dare to defy me?" she spat. "You are still mine Acheron and you know it. I will be your mistress until the end of time because I control the Dark Hunters not you. You care for them too much to walk away so you will answer to me and only me. Is that clear?" She was right in his face now and it took a great deal of will power to hold back his own anger.

"Sure Artie, whatever you say." Nothing she said could bother him anymore. He knew that she would throw every ounce of spite she had at him but it simply wouldn't matter. He had everything that he had desired in eleven thousand years now and Artemis could not take that away from him.

"Well you'll still have to pay dearly to earn that soul you want so badly. And you are most definitely not going to enjoy my price dear Acheron," she cooed at him as she knelt before him and raked her nails across his chest.


	43. Chapter 43

Alicia wanted desperately to share the news of her pregnancy with Amanda or Tabitha or, well anyone. But she knew how dangerous that could be so she kept her mouth shut. Plus she wasn't actually known to be dating anyone so explaining a pregnancy would pose certain problems. So she happily made Amanda the center of attention and helped her friend plan how to decorate a room for the new baby.

Tabitha even helped out for a while until Amanda put her foot down about an anatomically gifted teddy bear that Tabby had brought from her shop.

&&&&&&&&

One night after Alicia had left the zoo and was moping around the apartment Tabby called to ask her if she felt like going out dancing. Alicia didn't have to work until the afternoon the next day so she eagerly said yes and agreed to meet Tabitha at her shop. She parked her motorcycle in the tiny gravel lot behind the row of stores and walked around to the front. Marla greeted her as she came in the door and complimented her outfit. She'd decided to have a little fun tonight and she was wearing skin tight leather pants with a lacy black halter top that left very little to the imagination. Tabby smiled and nodded her head in approval of the clothing, "Looking to turn some heads tonight huh? Good thing we're going someplace you'll blend right in."

"But I don't want to blend Tab," she mock whined and stamped her foot.

"Well darling, you're gonna have to try harder in this town. You ready?"

Alicia nodded and grinned and said goodbye to Marla as they walked out of the shop and headed towards the club that Tabby had recommended. Alicia had said she was feeling more Techo-y tonight so Tabby had said she knew a good place to go. They ended up at a converted warehouse that throbbed with heavy bass beats even out here and got in the line to enter. As they moved forward Tabby chatted about goings on and commented about where Xiovar had taken up residence of late. Ever since he'd discovered that Alicia was pregnant he had been laying himself out over her abdomen as if he were protecting the tiny being inside. She thought it was cute that he was so protective and he assured her that nothing would get through him to harm the growing life inside. So since she was wearing a shirt that bared her midriff Xiovar in his tattoo form was very visible.

When they got into the club and had worked their way through the crowd Alicia spotted a familiar face and wandered over into the line of sight of Fury who was sitting on a stool on the edge of the dance floor scanning the crowd like he was sizing up prey. "Hey good looking," she yelled over the noise.

He grinned and nodded his head in her direction, "Hi Alicia, how are you?"

"Not too bad. You looking for a date or for food?" She shouted as she slid up on a stool next to him. He flashed a glance at her and raised an eyebrow. "Well you look like you're about to drool so I was just curious."

"Well I guess it's kinda the same thing you know?"

Alicia laughed and asked Fury if he cared to dance, "Maybe if you don't look so desperate you'll get some offers. I mean a mighty fine looking man like yourself you should seem more approachable."

"Sure, whatever you say."

They worked their way into the crowd and after a few minutes of cajoling him she got him to start dancing. Once he loosened up a little she found that he danced very well, perhaps it came with his stalking instinct. Whatever the case he moved like a predator but it was extremely sexy and he attracted the attention of several nearby women. Eventually a pretty brunette wiggled her way over next to him and looked at Alicia for permission to cut in. She gave a nod to the brunette and a little finger wave to Fury and wandered off to find Tabby.

She had to walk around the club three times before she found Tabby talking to a man who looked relatively unthreatening but Alicia could sense just how dangerous he was even though he had on a screamingly loud Hawaiian shirt.

As she moved over next to her friend the man took notice of her and lowered his sunglasses. "Well hello there," he said with a grin. "I really need to make your acquaintance or my life will have no meaning and I'll be forced to kill myself."

Tabby laughed at him and smacked his shoulder, "Down boy, she's not for you. Alicia Caine, meet Otto Carvaletti, don't hold his lousy taste in clothing against him. Otto, Alicia, she _will_ hurt you so don't try anything."

"Pleased to meet you Otto, nice shirt where'd you get it?"

Otto shook her hand and she noticed the spider web tattoo on the back of his hand. "I actually had to special order it but if you like it, it's yours."

"Nah, it'd clash with my hair something fierce. So how do you know Tabby?" Alicia knew exactly who Otto was but she still didn't want to go around announcing to everyone who she was.

Otto kept looking her up and down and finally when Tabby hit him again he shook himself out of his daze and explained, "Oh I used to work for Tab's husband."

"Really? Doing what?" she asked innocently. Tabitha was grinning at her knowing that Alicia knew exactly what Otto had done for Valerius.

"Uh, call it a personal assistant. You know ran errands for him and whatnot."

Alicia raised her eyebrows and smiled wickedly at Tabitha then leaned over to Otto's shoulder so only he could hear, "Is that so? I could have sworn that Blood Rites Squires were a little more important than just running errands." Otto swallowed deeply and glanced from Tabitha to Alicia and back again, not sure what to make of that comment. Finally Alicia couldn't hold back any more and burst out laughing, which set Tabby off too. "Relax Otto, I know who you are and your secret is safe with me."

He kept blinking at Tabitha and wondering if she had been telling just anyone about the world they tried so desperately to hide from normal humans. Tabitha finally controlled her laughter and put a reassuring hand on Otto's shoulder, "Chill, she's one of us." To prove her point she pointed to Alicia's belly where Xiovar was resting. Otto's eyes widened at the tattoo that he knew he'd seen somewhere before and then he leaned over and squinted at her belly trying to make sense of it in the flashing strobe lights of the club.

"Is that…?" He blinked a few times and then stood up suddenly, "Holy shit! That's…."

Alicia laughed at his reaction, "Yeah he is. Don't worry, he's safe."

Otto studied her face carefully and then cocked his head to one side, "What the hell are you?"

"Veterinarian," she answered innocently. The dumbfounded look on his face was priceless and she giggled and said, "Not what you think. Relax, I don't bite."

"Damn! Well I can dream. So I guess there's a story behind that but I'm sure that here's not the place for it so…care to dance?"

Tabitha made a little shooing motion with her hands and Otto slipped an arm around her waist and they went off to dance.

&&&&&&

Otto waved goodbye to the girls as he went off to find some more trouble to get into. They had stayed until the club closed for the night dancing and laughing. Otto had taken quite the interest in Alicia and Tabitha had to remind him several times that she was off limits to him. "I don't see why. You aren't dating anyone are you?"

She said no but he simply wouldn't take that for an answer and she finally told him that if he didn't knock it off she would find Fury and tell him to eat Otto. That made Otto laugh until tears rolled down his cheeks but left her alone after that anyway.

The girls walked back to the shop where they went their separate ways after saying good night and making plans for lunch the next afternoon. Alicia wound her way through the quiet streets of the city still marveling at how different this city was after dark. Of course she knew all about the nasty things that happened here too but it was a beautiful place none the less. She parked her bike in the garage and walked up the stairs to her dark apartment.

She flipped through the mail and threw away all of the junk mail and put the bills in a neat pile by her checkbook. She put the dishes that had piled up in the sink into the dishwasher and turned it on and then headed into the bedroom. She flipped on the overhead light and nearly screamed when she saw Ash draped over her bed beaten to a bloody pulp.


	44. Chapter 44

"Oh my god, Ash!" she yelled as she flew across the room to where his head was hanging off the bed. A small puddle of blood was forming under his head so she lifted his face gently to look at his injuries. "Oh baby talk to me please."

He moaned a little as she moved him and his eyes rolled around unfocused. She managed to get him rolled over on his back and his head propped up on the pillow and then she was at a loss. "Xiovar!" she called as she ran to the bathroom to get some towels. The demon misted off her stomach and appeared before her so that she nearly crashed into him as she ran back to the bed. His gaze took in the bleeding form on the bed and he disappeared immediately knowing what needed to be done.

Alicia dabbed wet towels at the worst of the wounds she could see while she waited for Xiovar to return. She looked over Ash's body and knew what had happened and she silently vowed to take her intense anger out on Artemis when she had a chance. Realizing that Ash was naked under all of the blood she draped a towel over his waist and looked at the ceiling as if she could hurry Xiovar along simply by thinking it.

When Xiovar reappeared he had Simi and Xirena with him and Simi wailed as soon as she saw Ash's unconscious form. "Akri!" She lept across the room and laid herself across his chest cradling him to her. "Oh the Simi is going to barbeque that bitch heifer. She hurt my akri and Simi is angry."

"Simi, calm down please," Alicia said as she continued to wash the wounds she could reach with Simi holding him. "He's going to be all right. Now I need you to help me care for him please?"

Simi looked up at her with tears streaming down her face, "You are sure he will be all right akra?"

"Yes Simi, he will be all right. You and I will never let anything hurt him right? And you and I will both take all of our anger out on that bitch for doing this to him." Simi looked at her and nodded slowly. "Good, now I need to know how to heal him."

Simi looked confused and shot a glance at Xirena who was conferring with Xiovar across the room giving them plenty of space. Xirena looked almost sad and whispered some more at Xiovar who nodded at her and stepped towards the bed. "You will not like it," he said softly.

"Tell me Xiovar. It can't be that bad." Alicia said as she held Simi's hand.

Xiovar looked back at Xirena and when she said nothing he returned his eyes to Alicia, "He needs strength."

"All right, enough games." She said in her best stern voice. "Tell me. Now."

"Simi, you must help him heal," Xiovar said in a low voice. She nodded at him and misted herself onto Ash's chest, which made him hiss in pain. "Alicia, you must feed him."

She whipped her head around in concern, "What?"

"He can feed from you now," Xirena said carefully. "You can restore his health."

"I sense a 'but' coming," Alicia said as she brushed the hair out of Ash's eyes.

Xiovar took over for the elder sister, "But it is not healthy for the baby. Damage could occur."

"What the hell does that mean?" Alicia was becoming more agitated now than she had been before the demons had arrived in the room.

Xirena came over and looked down at Ash and then at Alicia, "Taking too much blood will harm the baby. He will be fierce in his hunger. It may be difficult to get him to stop feeding before damage is done."

"Fine, then you two will just have to pull him off me before that happens." She scooted herself around on the bed to give Ash better access to her arm or whatever part of her he needed to drink from. Xiovar grunted at her and misted himself back to her stomach.

"He will give you strength during this. I will pull him away if it becomes dangerous." Xirena came to the other side of the bed and stood at the ready.

"Uh, what now? Forgive my stupidity but I've never really done this on purpose before."

Xirena looked at her with patient eyes, knowing what Alicia meant to Acheron. She smiled slightly and reached over and took Alicia's hand in her own and drew one of her claws across the outside of her wrist. "Hold it over his mouth," she said as she directed the blood drops that welled up in the cut towards Ash's open mouth. When the drops of her blood landed on Ash's tongue he stirred a little and groaned painfully as if several of his ribs were cracked. The blood reacted in his mouth and his more base instincts took over as his eyes flew open and he clamped his mouth down on her wrist drawing deeply.

The pressure from his teeth and tongue was painful at first but then it quickly turned into a much more pleasurable throb at the base of her spine and she closed her eyes as the feelings washed over her. This must be the basis for the whole vampires sucking blood myth. Ash sat up a little and practically wrapped himself around her trying to draw her closer to him as he fed. It would have been much more sensual if he wasn't so desperate as he took her blood into his mouth. His eyes flashed red at her, showing her how close to slipping into his truly demonic form he'd become and little by little more of the silver returned and washed the red away.

Alicia's head swam as Ash drained the blood out of her, she could feel the wound in her wrist opening more as he bit into her flesh. She wanted so badly to tell Xirena to get him off but she couldn't seem to form words. Wave after wave of pleasure throbbed through her body as her heart pumped her life into his mouth and there was nothing at all she could do to stop it.

Suddenly a sharp pain wrenched through her gut and everything swam into focus briefly as they pain cleared her head. She saw Xirena tugging at Ash, her hands wrapped in his hair desperately trying to pull him off of her wrist. Then another pain slammed into her stomach and everything went black.


	45. Chapter 45

Xirena managed to tear Acheron away from Alicia's wrist but he had torn so much of her flesh that she was bleeding out rapidly. She ran out of the room and grabbed more of Alicia's towels out of the bathroom and flew back to her side. "Simi! I need you," she called to her sister desperately. She knew nothing of human physiology and could possibly do more harm to Alicia than good.

Simi misted off of Acheron's chest and appeared beside his still prone form. She had done her best to heal him but now all she could do was watch over him. She spun towards Xirena and took in the panicked look in her sister's eyes.

"She's bleeding too much. What should we do?" Xirena asked as she wrapped one of the towels around Alicia's wrist.

Simi looked her over and shook her head. She knew very little about humans herself. "I do not know." Quickly she wondered if Xiovar could fix the problem but she sensed that he was concentrating all of his power on keeping the baby alive. A wave of panic washed over Simi and she wracked her brain to find a solution to the problem. Suddenly she brightened, "Mind her," she said before she flashed out of the room.

A few minutes later she flashed back in with Tabitha wrapped in her arms. Simi glanced at Xirena and practically shoved Tabby towards the bed. Tabitha gaped at the condition Alicia was in and barely even registering that a mostly naked blood covered Ash was on the bed next to her. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"No time to explain, just help her," Xirena directed, moving aside to that the woman could get to Alicia. She moved over across the bed and sat next to Simi who was chewing her lip in anxiety as she lifted Ash's head to her lap. When Simi was nervous she needed contact with Ash and now was definitely a nervous time, if anything happened to either Alicia or the baby Ash would never recover from it.

Tabitha glanced around the room and looked to Xirena, "She has a first aid kit in the bathroom. Get it. And more towels too please." Tabby sat on the side of the bed next to her friend and examined her wrist carefully. Xirena had managed to slow the bleeding but the wound needed to be cleaned out and stitched or she would bleed to death. Xirena returned quickly and handed the large metal box to Tabby who opened it and rooted through it for sutures and gloves.

Tabitha glanced over at Ash laying on Simi's lap and suddenly realized that he was mostly naked and a little color flushed into her cheeks. "Oh you are so gonna have to explain all of this when we're done," she said to Simi.

Xirena and Tabitha worked together to patch up Alicia's wrist and stop the bleeding. Luckily Tabitha had taken several first aid classes to ensure that if anything ever did happen to any of her friends or family that she could keep them alive until the real paramedics showed up. This however, was not something you could call 911 about. "You did good Simi." Tabitha said to the younger demon to stop some of the nervous fidgeting she was doing.

"Simi knows that Tabitha is smart. Simi needed human help and Tabitha is smart about humans." Simi didn't realize that she had reverted to her less sophisticated manner of speech. When she was unsure of what was happening she tended to do that. Xirena put a reassuring hand on her sister and stroked her arm gently.

"You did the right thing Simi," Tabitha smiled. "She's going to be fine, don't worry."

Xirena brightened a little at that pronouncement. "You are sure? We cannot allow her to come to more harm."

Tabitha tossed the scissors back into the box after she'd cut a large square of gauze out to cover the wound on Alicia's wrist. "What I'd like to know is how she got to this much harm in the first place? Was it a Daimon?"

Xirena was saved from having to answer that question by Ash's moan as he returned to consciousness again. He looked up at Simi and the worried expression on her face and knew it couldn't be for a good reason. The last time he'd seen Simi look like that he'd been poisoned and he had to send her off to Apollymi to fetch help. "Wha…Sim?"

She smiled at him and he chuckled at her face because it was upside down to him. "Akri? Are you better?"

He rolled his head slowly to take in Xirena and then Tabitha and he startled a little still not at all sure of what was going on. The last thing he remembered was Artemis taking out her anger on him. "What's going on guys?" he croaked.

Simi reached over and grabbed a glass of water off the nightstand and helped him to sip some of it. "You need to rest Akri. Everything will be fine. Trust the Simi."

Ash smiled at her again and rubbed her arm, "I do Sim but I need to know what happened."

"That makes two of us," Tabby said from across the bed. "I can't wait to hear you guys explain this one to me. Which, by the way, I'm waiting?"

Ash looked around the room at the demons and his friend and for the first time he saw Alicia. He bolted upright when he realized that she was hurt and immediately regretted it as his head swam but he needed to know that she was all right. "Alicia! Is she…?"

Tabitha put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down into Simi's lap, "Relax, she's lost a lot of blood, which you'd better explain, but she'll be all right."

Ash shot a glance at Simi and then Xirena who nodded once to assure him that the baby was fine. Once he knew that he relaxed a little but still leaned over towards where Alicia was laying. He took in the bandage on her wrist and looked at her pale face, "Oh Phae, what did you do?"

Xirena lowered her head and smiled at Alicia, "She saved you."

The realization of what had occurred shown on Ash's face and he pushed up from Simi's lap and leaned over Alicia. He put a hand over her heart and closed his eyes in concentration and in a moment she opened her eyes and gasped. "Shhh Sati. You're safe."

"What…?" Alicia glanced around at all of the people on the bed and wondered what the hell had happened. It all came rushing back to her and her hands flew to her stomach where the warmth of Xiovar told her that everything was as it should be. "Oh my god I feel like I drank for three days straight," she said clutching her head in her hands.

Tabitha said nothing but got up from the bed and left the room. A few minutes later she came back with a glass of orange juice and a bag of Oreos. "Sip this, don't gulp. When your stomach settles then eat a cookie. You lost a lot of blood." She handed the glass to Alicia and helped the other woman to sit up. "I'm sure you all are just dying to tell me what the hell happened here but I am feeling a might uncomfortable in your big old orgy pit so I'm going to go sit on the couch. When someone wants to come out and explain to me what's going on I'd appreciate it." She started to go towards the door and paused, "Oh, and I'm not leaving until I get some answers."


	46. Chapter 46

Ash leaned over the bed and kissed Alicia on the forehead, giving her a little bit more of the strength that he took from her. "You shouldn't have done it Phae. I could have killed you and not even known what I was doing."

"I know. That's why they were here to help. Ash, I can't lose you." The anger that she felt flashed across her eyes like a storm, "I'm going to kill her."

He shook his head at her, "You can't kill a goddess."

Simi shook her head no at Alicia, "Maybe not, but I sure as hell can hurt her for what she did to you." Shaking her head to get the anger to leave she looked from Simi to Xirena and then over to Ash. "So are you going to tell Tabby everything?"

Ash pondered the situation for a moment and nodded, "I'll tell her some of it. Not all. There are things she doesn't need to know. But she's far enough into it all that it can't hurt her. Plus she is immortal so she'll be around long enough to figure a bunch of it out anyway. No time like the present."

"She's immortal? Now that's not fair." Alicia pouted as she tried to sit up and when her head swam again she wobbled a little. "Whoa."

Ash chuckled as he helped her sit up. "I had to. Amanda ended up immortal and I couldn't let her watch her twin die so…"

"Huh, well what do you know, you're a nice guy after all." Ash laughed at her and she leaned back into his arms. "All right nice guy, get my happy ass out of this bed."

He helped her up and steadied her. "Xirena, thank you for your assistance. It is greatly appreciated." She bowed at him and asked if she could return to Katoteros. Ash nodded at her but told her that she was welcome to stay if she chose to. She declined and flashed out of the room. Ash flashed some clothing on and helped Alicia out to the living room where he settled her in on a couch and made sure she was comfortable before retrieving more juice for her.

When everyone was settled in he looked at Tabitha who was shaking her head at him in disbelief of the whole thing. "You've got a whole lot of explaining to do gorgeous babe. And now that I've seen most of you I can most definitely call you that, day-am! Can you make Val look like that?"

Alicia couldn't help laughing at her friend, "I thought you liked him just the way he is. You're such a hypocrite."

Tabitha's eyes bugged out a little, "I do, but oh my god have you seen _him_?" she pointed at Ash and wagged her eyebrows in the universal sign of appreciation of hotness.

"Uh, yeah well…" Alicia began before Tabitha cut her off again.

"Yeah well what the hell is going on between you two? I am just dying to know. Spill." She bounced up from the couch like she was loaded with springs and jogged off to the kitchen. A moment later she returned with a soda and a bag of chips. "Sorry, I'm starving here. Okay, lay it on me."

Ash and Alicia told her almost everything. They held back a few of the details like Alicia's relation to Savitar and the bit that Ash was in fact a god. Tabitha listened with rapt attention and only broke in a few times with questions. When they had gotten up to the events of the past few days Tabitha's jaw was hanging open and she was shaking her head.

"Okay so you've got to suffer through Artemis' torture to get one of their souls back? What a bitch! I'm sorry Ash I didn't know it was that difficult or I wouldn't have pushed for Val's."

Ash leaned over and patted her on the knee, "Tabby, I don't do it because it's fun, but it is the right thing to do. It's just that this time Artie was a bit more pissed off at me than usual."

"I'm not quite getting that part." Tabitha said as she stared into the now empty bag of chips. "Why was she so pissed off at you that she tried to kill you?"

Alicia fielded that one because Ash had been doing most of the talking as she sat sipping juice, "Because she found out that he wasn't her slave any more basically. Artemis has always controlled the Dark Hunters, including Ash but she can't control what she doesn't have power over and she found out that she no longer has any power of him." Tabby made the 'go on' gesture with her hands and Alicia did just that, "He got his soul back."

Tabitha's eyes went wide, "How'd you get your soul back if she is the one that holds them?"

Ash looked over at Alicia and she scooted a little bit closer to him, "Because Artemis never did have my soul. Alicia did."

Tabitha put her head in her hands and shook it back and forth, "Okay my head hurts now. Alicia had your soul? Should I ask how?"

"Probably not, just go with it. So he's got it back and Artemis is pissed so she beat the snot out of him and I came home from dancing and found him all raggedy as hell. I freaked out, called the Charontes and, well long story short he needed blood and I was it."

Slowly, Tabitha started nodding her head, "So he went a bit overboard and that's where I came in right?"

Alicia nodded and thanked her once more. "If Simi hadn't have gotten you I don't think…" she let that thought trail off. "Yeah, well, now you know. Head still spinning?"

Tabitha nodded furiously, she'd obviously picked up that reaction from her niece because Marissa did that a lot. "So now what?"

They hadn't told her about the pregnancy yet. The fewer people that knew the better off everyone was. "So now I do what fate dropped in my lap and everyone goes home happy. Or we all die, one of the two."

"Can we try for the happy one?" Tabby squeaked then she yawned mightily. "Oh, time for me to get some sleep. You two gonna be all right or do I need to stay here to keep him from pulling a Dracula on you?" Alicia assured her that they would be fine. "Good cause my husband and my bed are calling to me." She rose from the couch and started towards the door. "Ya know, I still can't believe it. My old college friend turns out to be an ancient Atlantean who just happens to be Ash's long lost soul mate. Ya know, the more I live in this town the crazier my life gets."


	47. Chapter 47

Ash leaned over and kissed Alicia on the forehead after Tabby left. She'd been getting energy from both him and Xiovar the whole time Tabitha was there and now the utter exhaustion was beginning to show on her face. She'd been putting on a good show for Tabby so she wouldn't fret over Alicia any more than she already had.

"You want to eat something or are you just ready for bed?"

She rolled her eyes at him and laughed, "Going to bed with you usually ends up with some form of eating anyway so…" She struggled a little as she pushed herself up from the sofa and teetered on wobbly legs. "Sleep….good. Yes sleep." She staggered off towards the bedroom with Ash following behind her. Just inside the doorway she stopped in her tracks causing him to run into her and jolting her forwards a bit. "Damn it," she said under her breath.

They'd both forgotten about the chaos caused in the bedroom and when they saw it again it brought back all of the memories of the evenings happenings. "I'll clean it up, just sit," Ash told her as he helped her to the lone chair in the room.

She brushed him off and nodded towards the bathroom instead. "Shower."

He watched her go into the bathroom and soon heard the water start in the shower. Waving a hand he flashed the room back into order and then stripped off his clothes and went to join her in the shower.

&&&&&&&

Later they lay in the bed together, snuggled under the blanket and waiting for sleep to claim them. Alicia was tracing patterns on Ash's chest with her nails when she looked up at him. "What's going to happen with…well with all of this?"

"What do you mean?"

She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at her waist. "That," she pointed. "What's going to happen with the baby? With us? I mean you and I aren't exactly the couple next door. I'm not foreseeing PTA meetings and play dates in this baby's future."

Ash looked at her with a bit of concern, he hadn't actually thought about any of this. Being able to see the future was fine sometimes but he wasn't allowed to see the future concerning himself or anyone he cared about and Alicia and this child most definitely fell into that category. "Will it upset you if I say that I honestly don't know?"

She snorted at that, "Not any more than all of this has already. I just wish Savitar had told me what to expect."

"He didn't say anything?"

Alicia shook her head, "Nope, but you know what a cryptic pain in the ass he can be. You don't know anything either?"

Not wanting to scare her any he snuggled her closer to him, "No. I'm completely clueless about all of this. I didn't know about the Fates and their plan the first go round and I certainly wasn't expecting the blessing of having you back. What I do know is that it's gonna be an interesting ride."

"Interesting? Gee ya think?" She was teasing but it sounded much more scathing than she had intended. "So let's see here, you're an eleven thousand year old Atlantean god who can basically destroy existence if you get pissed off. You've recently been returned your soul that has been in absentia for eleven thousand years and now to celebrate that little fact you've impregnated moi. Now I'm not your average girl next door either, I'm also an eleven thousand year old Atlantean, slightly less godlike in my status but I've got connections that most people couldn't imagine. So the Fates, or whoever, decided to put me in your path so you'd fall in love with me to keep you from the aforementioned destruction. However, your mother doesn't like me so she killed me. Now my dear sweet cryptic asshole of a brother has been reincarnating me over and over and over to get us back together and viola here we are. Now we're back together and everything is all hunky dory except your mother _still_ doesn't like me and is _still_ trying to kill me and, by default, the baby that I'm carrying that can, in fact, stop her from destroying existence. Did I miss anything?"

Acheron just blinked at her for a moment and then shook his head slowly, "No, I think that about covers it."

"So what happens now? I understand the part about having the baby that can stop her from destroying existence, makes perfect sense to me. But _how_? I mean does this baby negate her powers just by proximity? Will it have magical spit up that stops the goddess of destruction? Can she be stopped with the power of baby poop? Well that last one is possible, I've smelled baby poop before, yuck."

Ash rolled over and looked down at her, "I don't know. I wish I did but it's going to be as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. What I do know is that nothing is ever going to take you away from me again." He kissed her tenderly and slid his leg in between hers, "You can count on that Sati."


	48. Chapter 48

Alicia spent the next three days trying to get a hold of Savitar with no success. Either her brother was pissed off about the 'cryptic asshole' comment or he was too busy to even respond to her. She visited Tabitha a few times to reassure her friend that she was in fact fine and she actually had a lot of fun helping out around her shop. Tabitha returned the favor by visiting the zoo and she was obviously fascinated by all of the work that Alicia was doing. The amazement on her face when she got a chance to pet a jaguar was deeply satisfying to Alicia and she was glad she'd suggested the trip.

Ash spent a few days in Katoteros recovering and checking up on the status of the Dark Hunters. He spent a very long night talking with Alexion and the Charontes about the possible results of the birth of the baby and how it would all play out. None of them came up with a reasonable answer because of course Apollymi had kept any and all information that could negate her powers a secret. Ash at one point even suggested that he should go talk to Styxx to see if his brother had any clue but Alexion pointed out that if Ash himself didn't know it was probable that Styxx wouldn't know either.

Meanwhile, Alicia finally confided in Carson that she was pregnant because she needed to have medical attention and she knew that Carson could keep a secret. It was slightly awkward having her friend do a pelvic exam on her but it was necessary and he was eager to make sure that she was healthy. After the exam he pronounced her to be in excellent health and he assured her that everything was as it should be. She didn't bother to tell him who the father of the child was and he never asked so she felt slightly better about his knowledge of the pregnancy.

"So should I ask if this baby is going to be human or not?" Carson asked her carefully later in the afternoon as they sat around his office. "I mean it's none of my business but it would help in looking for problems."

"Yes, it's very human. No fur to worry about here," she assured him.

"Okay, then I will say you're about two months along and looking pretty good." He stopped and thought about something for a moment, his brow creasing in contemplation. "You're not going to give me any more info are you?"

She shook her head carefully, "No, it's probably safer for everyone if you don't know." The look of disappointment on his face made her laugh a little. "Oh don't give me that look. A girl's gotta have some secrets you know."

Carson looked slightly pained, "I know but I don't want to see you get hurt. I mean if this guy got you pregnant and then left then I could hunt him down for you. You know?"

Now Alicia really laughed, "Oh it's not like that at all. Don't worry Carson, he's still around just keeping a low profile. It's just…oh hell, its just best if know one knows about this pregnancy at all and certainly not who the father is. Just trust me on this one okay?"

"You're aggravating you know that?"

"Yup, runs in my family."

&&&&&&

Savitar finally answered her nearly a week after the incident with Ash. He popped into the zoo right next to her scaring the wits out of her enough that she not only beat him with her clip board but Xiovar lunged to her rescue before realizing who was 'attacking' her. "Whoa there little sister, it's me," he said backing away from her flailing clipboard and the Charonte that was towering over him.

"Damn it Sav, you could have told me you were coming. Jeez, you scared the piss out of me."

"Yuck, that's gross. How's things?" He leaned on the railing of the habitat she was standing next to and glanced over at her. She didn't answer him. Instead she planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. Xiovar had returned to wherever he'd been before Alicia had panicked so they were alone apart from all of the tourists milling about. "I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Damn straight, I want answers from you and I want them now." She turned on her heal and stormed off to the rear of one of the buildings where they wouldn't be overheard. Savitar sheepishly followed behind her and mentally chastised himself for not coming to talk to her sooner. He'd known what had happened the night that Ash almost drained her but the situation came under control so he hadn't needed to intervene. One of the hard things about living as a being with infinite power was remembering to let nature take its course. That of course, was the primary reason that he seldom ventured out of Neratiti. When they got behind the building Alicia spun on him again and stabbed him in the chest with her finger, "You know damn well what I want so start talking."

"You want the cryptic asshole version or what I can actually get away with telling you?"

Alicia growled at him and rolled her eyes, "Just tell me what you can."

"Fine," he huffed and blew his long bangs out of his face. "I can't say much, you know the rules. Okay, Ash can make you immortal after the baby comes, hell I'll do it, not a problem with that. The baby is going to be special, but you knew that. Um, I can't say much more than that."

Alicia started pacing back and forth in front of him chewing her lip. "Can I ask some questions and you'll answer them?"

"As best I can, you know that Phae."

She rubbed her forehead as if she were trying to draw the most important questions to the front of her mind. "Okay, tell me all you can about what's going to happen once this baby is born." Savitar looked confused so she elaborated, "I mean will it be human or more…well, godlike?"

"It's already godlike. Just in a wee tiny package." He couldn't help but reach over and rub her belly and grin at her. The idea of a child to spoil appealed to his more human side.

"Okay, that's a relief. I can call off the weres and demons to bodyguard it. So what happens once it's born? I mean how do we negate Apollymi's powers? And you'd better not say anything that involves sacrifice."

Savitar held his hands up like he was holding her back, "Whoa, no one ever said anything about sacrifice here Phae. Not my niece or nephew, no way! No, it's nothing that drastic but I can't answer that one any more."

Alicia nodded and leaned against the building next to him, "Okay you can live for that answer. Thank you. Now, tell me when I get to rip the bitch to shreds."

Savitar raised an eyebrow at her, "Well, that's up to Ash. I mean I could give you the whammy and hook you up with some serious ass kicking powers but I don't think Ash will let me do that so it's up to him." He looked over at her and watched her face fall into a frown. "Not gonna let you tear her up huh?"

Alicia pouted out her lower lip and shook her head. "Nope, guess he's still got a soft spot for the bitch."

"Huh, damn shame. Well at least you'll be able to have a nice chat with her, maybe some tea and crumpets."

"Cute Sav. Not gonna happen. I know you know me better than that by now. You know how possessive I get."

He shook his head ruefully and grinned wickedly, "That you do. If you ask me Ash oughta let you two go at it for a while, it'd be a hell of a lot of fun to watch." She reached over and punched him in the arm hard enough to make him rub it. "Ow, damn it woman, save your frustrations for someone else. Why I even bothered to bring you back is a mystery to me sometimes."

"Aw, you love me and you know it."

He lowered his head and peered out from beneath the curtain of his bangs, "Yeah I suppose. Besides, how else am I gonna get a kid to spoil? Not like I can have my own you know."

She shook her head in wonder knowing full well the extent of Savitar's powers, "You are so full of shit. You just won't settle on one woman." Teasing him further she broke into a chorus of _Just A Gigolo_ as she danced around him. "Hell brother dear, you've probably got a million kids out there by now." Savitar shook his head at her and looked sad. "Oh come on, if Zeus can impregnate humans you sure as hell can."

"True, but it's more fun this way," he pointed at her belly again. "This way I get to spoil the kid and give it back when I'm tired of it."

She laughed at him and swatted his shoulder again, "You keep saying 'it'. Don't you know?"

"Nope, it's a mystery to everyone involved. Even the bosses don't know or if they do, they aren't saying anything."

"Huh, well I guess we'll all be surprised then huh?"

His eyes went wide, "You're not going to find out? I thought you silly humans did that kind of thing nowadays."

"What? Silly humans huh? Oh I'm so gonna kick your ass big brother." Savitar bolted from behind the building and led her on a merry chase across the zoo.


	49. Chapter 49

Alicia was waiting outside the Dungeon for Ash to arrive and she was beginning to get bored when a deep voice called her name. Turning around she found Otto Carvaletti grinning at her and waving. "Hey Alicia, what's going on?"

"Nothing Otto, how you doing?"

"Bored honestly. I've been trying to get reassigned since Valerius is done with me but the Council won't give me anything. Making me nuts ya know?" He leaned against the wall next to her and shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

"Yup, sucks having to wait on other people to get off their asses. You looking to stay here or moving on?"

He sighed and looked up and down the line of people waiting to get into the club. "Well, I'd like to stay here but I think they are gonna send me off. Seems the two in town now already have Squires so I'm not much use to them. Dunno, guess I'll get shipped out. So you waiting for someone or just holding the building up?"

She laughed and turned to face him, "Little of both. But it's kinda cold out here, wanna go in?"

He looked surprised, "Sure but I'm not gonna have to kill someone for getting upset at you am I?"

"Nah, he'll find me. No worries."

Otto's eyes opened wide, "He? You're dating someone? I'm hurt here Alicia." He clutched his chest to illustrate his point.

She laughed and put an arm around his waist as she steered him towards the door, "Relax Otto, he's just a friend. You know you're the only man for me."

Brushing a hand across his forehead he grinned at her, "Phew, had me worried there for a second."

They worked their way into the club and Otto shouted over the music to ask her if she'd like to dance. She nodded and they squeezed themselves into the writhing crowd. They danced for several songs and thoroughly enjoyed themselves while both of them worked up a decent sweat. Alicia was dancing with her eyes closed because the strobe lights were giving her a bit of a headache so she was startled to have strong arms wrap around her waist and a very male body press itself up behind her. Her eyes flew open and she was about to whirl and punch Otto but it wasn't him because he was still in front of her but now he was standing still with his jaw gaping. Alicia paused mid whirl and realized what, or rather who, it was that could make Otto stare like that. So she pushed back into the body behind her and heard Ash growl low in his throat.

She laughed and turned around to look up at him, "Hey, got cold outside. Sorry I didn't wait."

"S'okay," he said and waved at Otto, "Hey Otto."

Otto wasn't sure what to make of Acheron's appearance and subsequent snuggling of Alicia so he backed up a little to give the leader of the Dark Hunters more space, and hopefully to put himself out of Ash's reach if he decided that Otto needed to be throttled for dancing with Alicia. "Uh…hey there Ash. Sorry I was dancing with her but…"

Ash laughed deeply and several people looked over at him. He walked over towards Otto who actually cringed as the taller man approached him. "Otto, it's not me you have to seek approval from." He clapped Otto on the shoulder and squeezed maybe a little too hard and the younger man blanched. Alicia couldn't help laughing at the two of them and she resumed dancing.

Otto yelled something up at Ash and waved to Alicia as he wandered off to flirt with a girl that had caught his eye. Ash laughed and wrapped her in a hug and kissed her neck. They got several looks from people around them and Ash laughed as he continued to rock her to the music.

After a while he wandered off to talk to one of his friends and Alicia worked her way through the crowd towards the bar to get a drink. She saw Otto chatting up a pretty blonde that was giving him the 'go away' glare so she decided to have some fun and she sauntered up and draped herself across Otto's chest and kissed him. The effect was partially ruined because his eyes flew open in shock but the blonde reacted the way Alicia had planned and she pouted that another woman would intrude on the guy that was flirting with her.

"Hey, I was here first," the blonde whined.

Alicia looked at her and sized the woman up then turned to Otto, winked and stalked off as if she had been put in her place. She glanced back over her shoulder and was happy to see the blonde moving in closer to Otto. She walked around the dance floor to the other end of the club and eased her way up to the bar there which was where Ash found her a few minutes later.

"Where'd you go?" he asked.

"Oh I was off doing a good deed." She pointed over towards Otto and Ash grinned when the Squire flashed them a thumbs up. Otto was still looking over at them when Ash wrapped her in a hug and kissed her on the neck and his eyes went wide at the sight of the perpetually single Dark Hunter leader with a woman. "We have an audience you know."

Ash flicked a glance at Otto and said, "Let him look." Then he proceeded to kiss her very deeply which made her completely forget about anyone other than Ash.

&&&&&&&

A week later Alicia was at the zoo when her walkie talkie screeched loudly demanding her attention. "Go ahead," she said into the radio as she juggled her clipboard and the box of supplies she was carrying.

The garbled voice on the other end off the connection informed her that she had a guest waiting for her at the front gate. She informed the volunteer that was at the gate that she'd be there right away. Not knowing who could be coming to visit her she passed off the box of supplies to another volunteer and gave her instructions on where to deliver them, then headed off towards the main entrance.

When she found the girl that had called her she pointed out a man leaning against the brick wall that funneled visitors into the main gates. Alicia smiled and waved at Otto who motioned her over to where he was leaning. "Hey Otto, what brings you out here?"

Otto looked around to see if anyone was close enough to over hear what he was going to say and when he was satisfied that no one would he leaned over next to her ear and said in a low voice, "I got my transfer."

"Hey, that's great! Where are you off to?"

For some reason unknown to her Otto looked glum, "I got assigned to Tristan. Not a bad guy for a Hunter but still…"

When he trailed off she looked up at him and cocked her head, "…and? What's wrong with it?"

"Tristan's in Vancouver Washington. I don't know if I want to go there."

She laughed at him softly, "Well why not? It's a great place to be."

He glanced around again, "You promise you won't laugh at me?" She nodded solemnly and he took a deep breath before continuing. "I've never been away from New Orleans alone before."

Alicia looked at him incredulously, "Really?" She suddenly realized why he was nervous about the assignment and he brightened her face for him, "Well hon, you are gonna have a blast up there. I'm a home town girl from Portland and I can hook you up with all of the best places to go. Oooo, and I've got some very fine looking single friends out there too." Otto's face relaxed and she knew that she'd said exactly what he wanted to hear. "Why don't you meet me at my place at say six thirty? We can talk and I'll give you the scoop."

He nodded and got directions to her apartment and promised to be there. She waved at him and as he walked off smiling.


	50. Chapter 50

Otto showed up at her doorstep at exactly six thirty with two six packs and a pizza in hand. "Thought I'd provide snacks," he grinned at her.

Alicia laughed and pointed him towards the kitchen, "Help yourself to fridge space and there are plates in the cabinet next to the sink. I'll be right back." She pointed in the general direction of the cabinet she was talking about and walked down the short hallway to the bedroom where Ash was waiting for her. She put a finger to her lips to tell him to be quiet. He'd popped into the room a few minutes before to let her know that he was off to Dallas for a few days and then he was going to Vancouver to talk to Tristan before Otto showed up.

"He's here. How much should I tell him?" Alicia asked as Ash wrapped her in is arms again.

"Well, nothing you don't want him to know about us if that's what you're asking. About the other thing, well he knows that Nick's still alive so he'll have an idea about his status as a Hunter. It'd probably be better if he went into it having a half a clue but not exactly what's going on. Oh, I don't know. Use your best judgment. I'm late," he said as he bent to kiss her. "Call me if you need me. I love you."

"Love you too," she said as he vanished from the room.

She left the bedroom smiling at the man she loved and how happy he made her even when he wasn't around. Walking back down the hallway she found Otto flopped out on the couch with half of the pizza stacked on a plate and an open beer in front of him on the table. "Comfy?"

He grinned up at her, "Yeah I guess, nice place you've got here. Help yourself to the pizza and beer."

She chuckled at him and went into the kitchen to retrieve a slice of pizza for herself. Then she sat on the other end of the couch with her legs curled up under her, "So you always take over everyone's house?"

"Nope, only the people I like. What no beer?"

She shook her head as she bit into the still steaming pizza, "Nope, moral clarity crisis this week. Mmmm, good pizza."

Otto shook his head at her and laughed, "You're a nut you know? So…what's the deal with you and Ash?"

Alicia swallowed her bite of pizza and looked over at him, "Nothing really. We're old friends."

"Uh-huh, you know I am never going to believe that. I saw you two at the Dungeon. That was _so_ not how friends act."

Alicia glared at him across the couch, "I told you Otto, we're old friends. That's it. I've known Ash for a very long time and we've gotten pretty close over the years but…" she trailed off before she gave anything away.

Otto held up a hand in surrender, "Fine, whatever. Okay so tell me about Vancouver. Ya know I am totally not looking forward to all the rain."

"Oh it's not as bad as you think. In fact, New Orleans gets more rain in a year than the Northwest does." Otto's eyes went wide over that. "It's true! Mainly you just get rain in the winter. Not a lot of snow, except in the mountains so there's plenty of good skiing."

They spent the rest of the evening talking about the area and what could be done for fun in that part of the country. Otto was very excited to find out that the Pacific Ocean wasn't more than a few hours away and he could easily find great surfing if he didn't mind cold water. He also admitted that he'd never been skiing but wanted to try so Alicia told him about some good places to learn. She gave him the names and numbers of some friends of hers in the area as well as her older brothers' info so that he'd at least have someone other than Tristan to talk to.

She pondered the thought that she actually had a family that was totally human and wondered about how that had come to be and how she would think of them from now on knowing what would happen to her in the near future. Savitar had been reincarnating her into the bodies of babies that were going to die at birth for a long time and she'd never given it any thought until now. Probably because when she was human she never knew about her other lives or her purpose. She wouldn't have known until Ash found her and her memories were returned.

So this time around she knew her 'family' both as a human and as an Atlantean. It was kind of freaky to know that these people that she'd lived with for so long were her relatives in that they shared the same genes as the body she was in but they actually had no relation to her at all. She shook her head to make that line of thought go away because wondering over it for too long would make her head hurt.

"Yo, space cadet? You still in there," Otto asked as he waved a hand in front of her face.

"Yeah, just thinking about something. Sorry. Okay, what else do you want to know?"

Otto took a sip of his beer and looked seriously at her for a moment, then he smiled and shrugged. "What I want to know you won't tell me."

Alicia looked at him and wondered how to break the news to him. Ash had asked her to tell him, mainly because he was in a hurry to get to Dallas but also because he knew that Otto would take the news better if it came from someone that wasn't as threatening as he was. Knowing that Otto was the type of person that would probably not appreciate the runaround she decided to just spit it out.

"Otto, you're not going to be in Vancouver that long."

He looked at her like she'd just told him that his pants were on fire. "What do you mean?"

"You're going to Vancouver to train another Squire. Don't you know about Tristan's old one?" He shook his head no and she went on, "Steven was Tristan's Squire for a long time but he was killed in a car accident not too long ago. Steven was training his son Billy to be his replacement but, well he never got finished with it. You're going to go out there and get Billy up to speed before your real assignment."

"Which is…?"

Giving herself a moment to phrase it as gently as she could she got up from the couch and walked her plate back into the kitchen. When she came back she realized that Otto's eyes had never left her. "You're going to Seattle. There's a new Dark Hunter that needs a Squire and you're the one."

He thought that statement through for a moment and the realization of who the Hunter was dawned on his face. "Nick?"

Alicia nodded sadly, "The Council thought it would be best if his Squire was someone he knew. Otto, I know it's not going to be easy going but Ash can't trust anyone else to give Nick the help he's going to need through this." She reached over and put a hand on top of his, "You gonna be okay?"

He nodded at her slowly and blinked his eyes a few times, "How come you're the one telling me this?"

Alicia snorted, "Because Ash figured you wouldn't get pissed at me."

"Well he was right." He chuckled at how sly the Dark Hunter's leader was being and the thought brought another question to his mind once more. "Okay, now I really need to know what the deal is with you and him. How is it that he trusts you to do his dirty work for him?"

"I told you Otto, we go way back."

"I'm not getting any more from you am I?"

She shook her head at him, "Nope. Cause there's nothing more to tell. So are you going to be okay with this?"

Otto leaned back on the couch until his head was hanging off the back, "Guess I don't have much of a choice do I?"

Alicia sighed and blew her hair away from her face, "Oh Otto. You always have a choice."


	51. Chapter 51

Alicia was the one that drove Otto to the airport three days later. He'd had a small going away party at Sanctuary and most of the Squires and assorted 'others' in town were there. Alicia was happy to see Tabitha and Valerius show up to wish Otto well. He'd been told by the Council and Ash not to tell anyone about his real assignment because Nick was still wanted by the police in New Orleans and it would be better if as few people as possible knew that he was alive and now a Dark Hunter. That way everyone could honestly say they didn't know where he was.

Otto spoke for a long time to Alicia about the assignment, and once they'd hashed it out for several hours he did see the reasoning of the Council in placing him as Nick's Squire. Now he was actually looking forward to traveling across the country and seeing what the Northwest had to offer as well as seeing his friend again, even if he wasn't quite the same as before.

Alicia's older brother Brian was going to meet Otto at the airport and get him to Tristan's place in Vancouver so he would be looked after for a while until he could settle himself in and he'd thanked her profusely for the gesture of friendship. "So you all set?" Alicia asked as she walked him to the security checkpoint. "Book, walkman, ticket?"

"Yes mom, I'll be fine. I'm sure the nice stewardesses will take good care of me." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Maybe I'll even get a spiffy pair of plastic pilot's wings if I'm good."

Alicia punched him in the arm and then gave him a big hug. "You're gonna have fun. Trust me. And if you want to talk you know how to find me."

"Right. Thanks again Alicia. I really appreciate everything you've done for me." He looked over at the departures board and then back at her, "So when you gonna come out and visit your family? I'd love to see you again, you know hang out and all that."

She looked at him earnestly and realized what he was attempting to say, "I don't know, probably pretty soon. It's been a while since I've seen them. I'll definitely let you know when I'm headed that way." Trying not to completely shoot him down she leaned over and kissed his cheek, which made him blush furiously. "Why Otto Carvaletti! I do believe you have a crush."

That made Otto blush even more and he swiped his hand through his hair as he tried to compose himself. "Well ya can't blame me can you? I mean…."

She laughed at his floundering, "Right, just remember that my brother is picking you up and it's not too late for me to call him and tell him to kill you." Otto blinked at her in confusion. "Okay, he won't kill you, but I wouldn't suggest you tell him that you've got the hots for me or he may get a mite upset. I mean I am his baby sister and all."

Otto promised that he wouldn't sully her good reputation and she hugged him again and sent him off to the plane.

&&&&&&

When Otto's plane landed he immediately picked Alicia's brother Brian out of the crowd outside the security check point. The man was exactly like Alicia had described him and Otto smiled as the other man walked towards him. Judging from the grin on Brian's face Alicia had described him to her brother in the same manner.

"Hey Otto, how was your flight?" Brian asked as he led Otto towards the baggage area.

"As good as can be expected. You know I swear that they only make those damn seats for people under five feet tall. You know?" Brian nodded in sympathy, he was easily six foot four himself so he obviously understood the cramped spaces of an airplane. "Who put all the short people in charge anyway?"

"Probably my mother. She's eternally pissed off that everyone in the family is taller than her." The walked across the main hallway of the airport and took an escalator down to the lower level to the baggage claim area. While they waited the men chatted about New Orleans and what had brought Otto to this part of the country.

"I took a job working for a management company out here," Otto told him, using the standard cover story that most Squires told. "Friend of mine recommended me and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Plus it's kind of like a fresh start you know?"

"Sounds like….well it sounds boring but as long as you're happy. So how's Alicia doing in New Orleans? She hooked up with some loser yet?"

The idea of anyone describing Acheron Parthenopaeus as a 'loser' was too funny to Otto and he burst into laughter. Alicia had vehemently denied that there was anything more than friendship between her and Ash but Otto had seen them at the club and they were most definitely not acting like 'just friends'. Brian looked at him in question and Otto tried to control his laughter enough to explain.

"I gotta ask first, does your sister make a habit of hooking up with losers?"

Brian looked slightly embarrassed by that question, "Let's just say I don't always approve of her choices in men. She tends to find the most rotten apple in the bunch, you know?"

Otto nodded, "Yeah I get the picture. Well, I can't confirm if there's actually anything going on with them but she's been spending a lot of time with a guy I know down there. He's a good guy though so no worries."

Brian shook his head in wonder, "Huh, maybe she's grown a brain finally."

Otto looked at the other man in wonder, "Boy you sure don't know your sister very well do you?"


	52. Chapter 52

Acheron watched Otto playing football in the backyard of Tristan's house with Billy and some of the younger boy's friends. He wondered for possibly the millionth time if he was making the right choice in assigning Otto to be Nick's Squire. Nick would need someone that could support him in more ways than just being a friend. He was still so new to the world of the Dark Hunters that it didn't seem fair to just throw him into it like this but if anyone could handle the change it would be Nick.

The trilling of his cell phone snapped him back to reality and he rolled his eyes as he reached for the oh so offensive device. If only he could have stopped the technology that had resulted in these blasted things. "Yeah?" he growled into the phone.

"Ash?" the tentative female voice on the other end wasn't one he recognized immediately.

"Yeah, who's this?"

"It's Kat, um Katra. Sorry to bother you but, well we might have a problem here." Ash didn't say anything for a while and only the sound of the activities around him let her know that he was still on the line. "You there?"

"Yeah, go ahead Kat, what's the problem?"

"Uh…well you're not going to like this one. They've almost found it."

She didn't need to explain to him what 'it' was. He knew. She was talking about Atlantis. Artemis had told him a few visits ago that there was a Greek doctor that had gotten pretty close to where the ruins of the city were but a little monkey wrench in his actions steered him away from it. Now, Kat explained, his daughter was on the trail and getting closer.

"I see. And what's being done about it?" Ash asked calmly. He knew that if anyone ever found the ruins of Atlantis it wouldn't matter if Alicia had the baby or not, Apollymi would be released and the world would come to an end.

"I was sent to stop it. I've been doing my best but this is one determined woman. Ash, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep her off the trail. Is there anything you can do about this?"

"Let me look into it, I'll get back to you." He said abruptly and hung up the phone. Swallowing loudly and pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose he tried to fight off the intense headache that was threatening to overwhelm him. "Savitar? You'd better not be ignoring me right now."

A few seconds later, the other man flashed himself into existence next to Ash. "You know I can't do anything here Ash," he said without preamble. Savitar had an uncanny way of knowing exactly what was going on in the mortal world even though he claimed not to care. "It's not my place to meddle in that little affair."

"Well, can you at least tell me if I'm going in the right direction?"

Savitar shook his head slowly, "Ash, buddy, you know I'd like to say what I feel, mainly because it involves my baby sister but I'm not allowed to. If the Fates decide that the psycho's going to escape there's not much I can do about it. I will however, say that chances are good that I'll get a chance to meet my niece or nephew. Now, I'm missing choice waves, so…." And with that he flashed himself back to his own realm.

"Damn it I hate it when he does that." Ash said to no one in particular. He reached for his phone and dialed Kat back. When she answered he asked her to try to stop the discovery in anyway that she could that wouldn't be immediately apparent. "You know paperwork could be your friend here," he hinted.

"Right, I'll do what I can."

"Keep me apprised will you?" he asked before hanging up the phone again.

&&&&&&&

Alicia felt like crap. She'd been having trouble sleeping for several nights now and it wasn't getting any better. She'd actually gotten to the point where she was ready to ask Carson to prescribe her something that would help her sleep and not hurt the baby. He laughed at her and told her that this was just something she'd have to get used to. After all once the baby was born she'd get even less sleep.

"I know that but this is killing me Carson. You've gotta be able to do something here."

"I can do something actually," he said smiling at her. "Get the hell out of here and go home. I don't need your whiney butt around here today so go try to relax will ya?"

"Fine, be a bastard will ya?" she groaned as she headed for the door. "Call me if you need me."

She drove home as quickly as she could without breaking any laws and parked her car in the small garage and climbed the stairs to her apartment. Once inside she threw the mail on the kitchen counter and wandered to the bedroom where she collapsed onto the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep but so many thoughts were going through her head it was hard to concentrate on nothing.

Eventually sleep won out and she slipped into the void as her exhaustion took over. Soon though she fell into a dream and found herself walking along a beach that she didn't recognize. Marble columns littered the sand and she worked her way carefully between them. Something about this reminded her of someplace she'd seen before but she couldn't quite place it.

Walking on she felt a chilly breeze coming from in front of her and she shivered as it washed over her and lifted her hair off her shoulders. "Hello?" she called. Her voice was whipped away from her as if she'd never spoken.

"_You dare to walk before me_?" a malignant whisper danced around her like a ghost.

"Who's there? Where am I?" she called expecting no response.

An evil laughter echoed through the columns on the sand coming from everywhere at once and increasing in volume as it drew closer to her. The sound of it felt like a hot poker was being stabbed into her gut and Alicia doubled over on the sand. "_I've found you little one. And you won't stop me._" The laughter resumed, making her stomach throb in pain. _"I will end you_…"

Suddenly Alicia knew who's voice it was and she reached out to Xiovar with her mind. She couldn't feel his presence any more and she panicked as she tried to determine if Apollymi had done anything to the baby. She clutched at her stomach and felt nothing there but the pain that was still aching in her middle. "You can't hurt me," Alicia called around the pain and the echoing voice.

"_Oh but I can little one_," the voice slithered around her mind like a snake hunting a mouse. "_I will drink your blood and destroy the world_!"

The volume of the cackling of Apollymi's laughter became so painful that she knew if it didn't stop soon it would crush her. Trying desperately to reach out to find Ash's presence somewhere, anywhere, she sank to the sand as everything went black.


	53. Chapter 53

The darkness was breathing around her and she shuddered in revulsion as she tried to figure out where she was. She remembered the beach with the marble columns, Apollymi's voice echoing around her and…nothing. The absolute black before her was scaring her, she couldn't see her hand in front of her face and the damp pressure of the darkness was pressing down on her like she was trapped in a cave or something.

She gasped for breath but the air was thick and heavy and it was hard to fill her lungs. She tried to move but she was held in place by whatever had trapped her here and she was starting to panic. She tried to reach Savitar's mind with her own but she couldn't find him anywhere. Usually he was just outside of her mind, watching her, protecting her but now she couldn't feel him.

Her blood rushed through her veins faster as she struggled to move but the weight pressing down on her pushed harder and she stopped. Taking as deep a breath as she could she screamed out, "Savitar!"

&&&&&&&

The light that caressed her was warm and soothing and she felt strong arms lowering her down to a soft cushion. She blinked at the light and a face swam into focus over her and she found her brother looking down at her with a concerned expression. "Sav…?" she croaked.

"Shhh, take it easy," he said softly as he stroked her hair. "You're safe now."

"What…?"

"Not now, rest little sister," he said as he brushed his hand over her face and she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

&&&&&&

Ash practically exploded into the room and rushed immediately to Alicia's side barreling past Savitar as if he didn't exist. When Savitar had called him on his cell phone he almost hadn't answered it and now he was thinking the Fates that he had.

"What happened?" he asked as he cradled her unconscious body to his chest. He reached out with his senses and found her to be alive and in one piece albeit drained of energy. The baby was also fine, weak, but fine.

Savitar stared at his feet and tried to avoid telling Ash what had occurred but the Atlantean's eyes were starting to bleed over to red fire as well as the swirling silver maelstrom that happened when he was angry. "Apollymi," he said weakly. He really had no answer for Ash but what he felt when Alicia had cried out to him, the terror and the pain she felt could only come from the Destroyer.

Acheron's jaw clenched in fury as he stared at Savitar. The unasked question on his face made Savitar cringe but he answered it anyway knowing that if he didn't Ash would fly off the handle and things would go very, very wrong. "I don't know how she did it but she managed to get her into a dream state and she captured her there. Ash…she wants to kill Phae and she almost succeeded. You've got to find someplace safe for her to be."

"And just where is that Sav?" Ash spat.

Savitar didn't answer, he just looked at Ash and thought about the only place he knew that Apollymi couldn't reach. He knew that the Atlantean understood him as soon as Ash's face fell. "I can't…you know that."

Savitar walked over to where Ash knelt with Alicia still cradled in his arms and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Look to wisdom and fate," he said before he stroked his sister's hair and vanished.


	54. Chapter 54

Alicia roused back to consciousness sometime after Savitar had left. Ash had not left her side since he arrived and honestly he didn't know where they were. He didn't recognize the room but he could smell salt air so he knew they were somewhere near a beach. Savitar probably wouldn't have kept Alicia near Apollymi so he was guessing that they were quite far from Greece but where would remain a mystery for a while.

Alicia's eyes blinked open and she reached a hand up to her forehead to try to stop the intense pounding that was happening there. "Don't move Sati, it'll wear off in a minute," Ash said in a low voice. He reached out a hand and a glass of water appeared in it and he held it up for her to sip at.

When the worst of the effects of Apollymi's attack had worn off Alicia sat up and looked around the room they were in. It appeared to be a hotel room but she couldn't figure out where they were or how they'd gotten there. "What happened?"

Ash sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand. "Apollymi found you and she tried to hurt you."

Alicia shook her head, "No. She tried to kill me."

Ash looked sad as he nodded at her. "I need to put you someplace she can't get to you."

"What's the 'but'?"

"But, there's only one place I can put you that she can't reach and it's not someplace I want you to be."

"I'm guessing it's not a fun place then." She put her hands on her knees and braced herself, "Okay, lay it on me."

Ash reached for her hand and held it up to his cheek, "Olympus."

Alicia's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped, "I can't go there Ash, I'm human."

He smiled at her patiently and reached for her to pull her into his arms. Once she was settled back against his chest he put his hands on her still flat belly and he began rocking her gently. "You can go there but there's a catch." She looked up at him and waited for him to explain. "You'd have to be protected by a resident of Olympus and you'd have to become more godlike." She rolled her hand in a 'go on' motion. "Well while you were sleeping I had a little chat with Athena. If you eat some ambrosia you can survive on Olympus and it won't take all of your humanity away so the baby will be okay. You just need to hide out and lay low for a while until you are ready to have the baby."

"I really don't like the sound of this Ash. I can't just disappear for months."

He sighed loudly and looked down on her, "Sati, you don't have a choice. I can't protect you from her if she's finding you when you sleep. I have a lot of friends but not enough to keep you from her if she'd that determined and believe me she is. Baby, you have to be safe and I just can't keep you that way. No, the only answer is to put you someplace she can't reach you and Olympus is the only place. You need to retain enough of your humanity to have this baby or I'd take you to Katoteros right now."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she thought about the situation. "Fine, how does this work?"

Ash kissed her on her forehead and snuggled a little closer to her. "Well I've got some friends that will give you a place to stay there. They'll keep you safe as long as your there. I had to pull some serious strings to get this done but luckily for us the Fates are on our side."

He explained to her that she would stay with Astrid who was a justice nymph and sister to the Fates and her husband Zarek who was a former Dark Hunter. The only problem was that if Artemis found out she was on Olympus there would be hell to pay so Ash pulled out his cell phone and dialed Kat's number one more time.

"Hey, it's Ash, I need a favor," he said after she'd answered. He explained the situation to her with as little detail as possible so that she wouldn't get in trouble with her mistress.

"Oh you owe me so big for this one Acheron," Kat said after she realized what he was asking of her.

"Yeah I do but I'll be saving your butt too. So just do us all a favor and keep Red's eyes off Astrid for a while will ya?"

Once Kat agreed to do what she could he hung up and returned his attention to Alicia who was chewing her lip as she paced back and forth. "What's wrong now Sati?" he said as he rose from the bed and wrapped her in his arms.

"I just have a bad feeling about this. I'm going to be pretty exposed there aren't I?" She had realized that Xiovar couldn't accompany her to Olympus and the thought of being unguarded even there frightened her.

"You will be, but you'll have other people looking out for you. Trust me Sati, the Fates really don't want to see you fall into Apollymi's grasp again. Plus there's going to be plenty of people watching your back, don't doubt that."

She kept chewing her lip and he wondered what it was that could be concerning her so much about this proposition. She stepped out of his arms and walked to the balcony of the room and looked down on the ocean that she still couldn't identify. She watched the waves roll onto the shore and lap at the feet of people on the beach before she turned back to him with a look of utter despair on her face. "What about you?" she asked finally.

Pondering her words for a moment he suddenly realized what she a saying. He couldn't stay with her on Olympus. "Well, I'll just have to have you visit me. Once you get a little bit more godlike you'll be able to come see me whenever you want. Of course it won't be for long but…" he trailed off as her face fell even more.

She spun away from him and leaned out over the railing, "I need you to be there Ash. I can't do this alone."

Molding his body to hers he slid his arms around her waist and kissed her neck, "Oh Sati, you should know by now that I'm always with you."


	55. Chapter 55

Astrid and Zarek agreed to meet them on the beach at sunset that night. Ash had contacted Athena again and asked her to relay a request to Astrid that they meet and Zarek had called Ash's phone a few minutes later with an agreement. "I don't know what's going on but whatever it is it's got the girls in a tizzy so I'm in," the former Dark Hunter joked to Ash.

"Z? Did you just say 'tizzy'?"

Zarek winced at that and sheepishly said, "Uh, yeah I guess I did. Damn man, you've got to get me some excitement around here please? Not that I don't love Astrid and her family but I'm bored!"

Ash chuckled low in his throat, "No problem, I've got excitement in buckets coming your way. Don't ask, just be here."

Ash had spent several hours after that reassuring Alicia that everything would work out and Apollymi wouldn't kill either her or their baby. He'd finally gotten her calmed down enough to go out to meet the couple she'd be staying with.

They were walking across the soft sand of a beach in what turned out to be New Zealand when Zarek and Astrid came across the dunes towards them. Astrid smiled and hugged Ash and Zarek clapped his old boss on the back as Alicia stood off to one side rubbing her arms nervously. Astrid turned her head in Alicia's direction and cocked it to one side as if she were listening to something. Ash took note of it and put a hand on Alicia's elbow to pull her closer to the other couple.

"Alicia I'd like you to meet Astrid and Zarek." Zarek was a typical Dark Hunter, tall, incredibly well muscled, the deepest raven black hair she'd ever seen and drop dead gorgeous. Astrid was the polar opposite of him, pale blonde hair, soft feminine curves and quite gentle looking.

Alicia studied the couple for a moment and Astrid held out a hand in the general direction she assumed Alicia was, "Please to meet you. I've heard nothing but good things about you." Alicia reached for the woman's hand and realized that Astrid couldn't see. "Don't worry, I'm fine at home," Astrid said answering Alicia's question as she shook her hand.

"Ah, justice nymph I forgot." Alicia said. "Thank you very much for this. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

Astrid laughed softly, "Well my sisters have plans for you so who am I to say no?"

"Yeah, everyone's got plans for me. I feel like a giant chess piece some days."

Astrid patted Alicia's hand, "We've all got a part to play honey. Yours is just a little bit more important than some other people's is. Nothing to worry about. We'll see you through this."

"No offense Astrid but I'm not at all reassured."

Zarek laughed heartily and put a hand on his wife's shoulder, "Oh I think my sisters in law will beg to differ with that. They are after all your biggest fans." He grinned at her like a wolf and she couldn't help but like the man. Ash had told her all about how he'd used to be before he met Astrid and she just couldn't see the evil bastard that he once was. His wife had really changed his outlook on life for the better.

Zarek proceeded to tell Alicia about what would happen after she started eating Ambrosia. He'd had to do the same thing when he fell in love with Astrid so he could honestly tell her the effects of it. Ash had reassured her that as long as she didn't eat too much of it she'd be human enough to carry the baby with no negative effects. Astrid also reassured her by telling her that there was no way that her sisters would give her a fate that was impossible to attain. They had their moments of cruelty but since all of humanity was hinged on her pregnancy it was pretty certain that Atty's shears were nowhere near this baby's thread.

Alicia swallowed all of her fear and nodded at the couple, "Okay, let's do this then shall we?" Astrid produced a small box from her bag and opened the lid releasing a cloyingly sweet scent. "Oh why did it have to smell like that?" Her stomach lurched and she had to pinch her nose closed to take the box from Astrid.

"It's really not that bad," Zarek assured her.

She took a small bit of the sticky substance out of the box and stuck it on her tongue before she could wimp out of it. The ambrosia melted on her tongue like cotton candy and she was suddenly extremely light headed. Everything spun around her as she swayed in the sand. "Whoa, trippy," she said as she leaned heavily against Ash to steady herself. She closed her eyes to make some of the dizziness go away and when she opened them again everything was so vividly clear she was in awe of it. "Wow, it's been a while."

Ash chuckled at her amusement and stroked her hair as she adjusted to the new vision of everything. "How long has it been?"

She put a hand on his chest and leaned against him heavily as she looked up into his face, "Well since the last stay with brother dearest. I see like this there but in human form, I haven't seen this since home. I'd forgotten how lovely it is."

Astrid smiled at her and then took Zarek's hand and led him away from the other couple to give them a moment to say their temporary goodbyes. "C'mon dear, there seems to be a beautiful sunset over that way."

Alicia looked up at Ash with an expression of utter love for him and he melted at that. "I'll miss you Phae but we'll see each other soon enough."

"I know, I just…well I don't want to be alone."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, "You won't be. I know that there's a sfora there so we can still at least see each other and you can come here occasionally without any harm. I promise you that you won't be alone either. I'll always be with you," he said as he placed his hand over her heart. Her chest warmed from it and she could feel his presence inside her, like the soul she'd carried for so long.

"I know, I know. Geez, can't a girl get a break these days? I just got used to my demon, I just got you back after eleven thousand years, ya know I think I deserve a little better."

He laughed and lifted her up spinning her around on the sand. "Oh Sati, if I could give you everything your heart desires I would but in this matter even I am powerless. But I'll have you by my side for the rest of eternity and believe me, I will make up for the time we've lost."

She cupped his face in her hands and lost herself in the swirling silver of his eyes, "You'd better or I'm gonna have to replace you."

&&&&&&&

Alicia said her goodbyes to Xiovar too who sadly hung his head as she hugged him, "I shall be waiting for your return my lady," he said with a little bow.

She smacked him on the shoulder and looked sternly up at his face, "Stop that. You'll be fine. You'll have the girls to spend time with and you won't even know that I'm gone. Yeesh. You men are all such whiney things." She was putting on a brave face but she didn't want to be separated from him any more than he did. "Besides, I can talk to you still."

He nodded and she waved good bye to him as he flashed himself off to Katoteros. Ash told her that Xirena was eagerly awaiting his arrival and demonstrated her eagerness with a wicked grin and waggling eyebrows. "Oh my poor baby's gonna be eaten alive," Alicia said with a grin.

Ash laughed at that and nodded in agreement, "Yes but look at I this way, perhaps if they get along well enough we'll have a new Charonte for our little one."

She thought about that for a moment and nodded, "That'd make things easy wouldn't it?"

Astrid and Zarek were making their way back across the beach so Ash looked sadly in their direction and pulled Alicia close for one more passionate kiss. "I'll miss you Sati," he whispered in Atlantean.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything because if she did she knew she'd cry so she nodded and looked over at the other couple with a brave face. "Okay, let's see what you've got in store for me shall we?"

Zarek walked over to Ash and said something to him under his voice which caused Ash to laugh and then he rejoined the women and they all flashed themselves off to Olympus.


	56. Chapter 56

Time in Olympus passed quickly for Alicia, she had so much to do with Astrid around. The justice nymph and her sisters had planned in great detail just how to keep her busy and her mind off the fact that she couldn't be with Ash. Plus she had the joy of being able to enjoy Astrid and Zarek's son Markus who was just now learning to walk and had taken quite a shine to Alicia. The two women spent a good portion of their time in the fields of flowers around Themis' residence watching the little boy laugh and play. Astrid told Alicia that it was good practice for her own child that would soon be here. Alicia marveled at how her belly swelled and one evening she excitedly called Ash begging him to flash her to wherever he was. Frantic that something was wrong he flashed her into the middle of a strange city and into the presence of a Dark Hunter she'd never met.

"Ash!" she called excitedly as she grabbed for his hand.

The Dark Hunter looked terribly confused at the woman that had just appeared in front of him. She certainly didn't look like a Daimon so she couldn't have come from a bolt-hole but there she was like magic. He whipped around in a circle looking for some sign of an attack but found none.

Ash couldn't even get a question to his mouth before Alicia planted his hand on her belly and giggled as the baby kicked out a tiny foot into his hand. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he realized what he was feeling and he laughed in delight at it.

"Um Ash?" the Dark Hunter asked not having a clue what was going on.

Ash smiled down at Alicia and then glanced up at the other man, "You're gonna have to excuse me for a bit Xan." Then he wrapped his arms around Alicia and flashed them off to a soft white sand beach that was completely deserted.

"Pretty cool huh?" she asked after he'd covered her face with kisses.

"Utterly amazing. Oh I've missed you baby," he purred as he flashed their clothes off and lowered her to the sand.

&&&&&&&

Long into the night Ash had summoned Simi and Xiovar from Katoteros. Xiovar was overjoyed at seeing his mistress and his eyes went wide when she placed his hand on her belly to feel the baby kicking. Simi laughed at his expression but then managed to look even more comical when she got a turn to feel the tiny life.

They sat on the sand like a big happy, yet extremely odd looking family and chatted about what had been happening in their respective lives. Xiovar was making friends with the sisters even though he didn't approve of their attempts at making him watch QVC. Simi confided that Xirena was quite infatuated with Xiovar and Ash nudged Alicia in the ribs at that comment.

Simi kept asking Alicia when they would get to go shopping and Alicia could only promise that they would do so soon. "Maybe we can all go with Astrid one day," she suggested. That made Simi bounce around happily because she like Astrid and Zarek a great deal.

After a while visiting with the Charontes Ash told them to return home because Alicia would need to get back to Olympus before too long and he wanted to have some more alone time with her. That made both of the demons' lips curl and they flashed

themselves away followed by the giggles of Alicia. "Oh that's fun we should do it more often."

"Mmmm, I've got something else in mind," he said as he covered her in kisses.


	57. Chapter 57

Alicia did get to go shopping with Simi and Astrid a while later after she'd sufficiently recharged her energy at Olympus. If she spent too much time away from it now she felt drained and her temper flared. Astrid told her that was one of the down sides to the ambrosia and confided that if Zarek was away for too long he reverted back to a level par with how she first met him. Alicia had heard some stories about the chaos he'd caused in New Orleans and Ash had verified that Zarek had been a right bastard before Astrid and godhood managed to mellow him out.

Alicia managed to send several bags of stuff for the baby back to Katoteros with Simi and the demon confided in her that she and Xirena had been happily buying up stuff they saw on QVC that they thought the little one would like. Alicia rolled her eyes at that but thanked Simi for her thoughtfulness anyway.

Several weeks after the shopping trip Savitar contacted Alicia on Olympus through the sfora and asked if she could come meet him to talk over a pressing matter. Not liking the way he phrased the request she agreed to it and practiced her flashing skill to transport herself to a club in Minneapolis. She found her brother chatting up a pretty blonde inside near the main bar and she waved at him to give him time to extricate himself from the girl.

They settled themselves at a small table in the back of the bar away from the other people and after Savitar had waved the waitress away he looked at her with a pained expression. "We've got a problem," he said carefully.

"Okay, who wants me dead now?" It was meant to be a joke but after the events of the past few months it just wasn't funny.

He looked sad as he swallowed and said, "No one this time but…"

"Stop, no more cryptic asshole stuff okay? Just tell me."

"Fine, Phae you're going to have to die."

She blinked at him in amazement of the words that had just come out of his mouth. "Excuse me?"

"See? Cryptic was better. Okay, it turns out that in order for the little person to be born with the powers it's going to need to negate the bitch, you have to die."

Alicia pinched the bridge of her nose and hid her face in her hands not at all sure of what to say to respond to that. Savitar was beginning to think she wasn't ever going to talk to him again when she finally looked up and nodded slowly, "I see. Is there any specific manner I have to die in or can it just be something easy?"

Savitar shook his head at her sarcasm, "There's only one way it can happen. Remember, you're kind of god like now so the transfer of power has to be specific. Besides, it's already set into motion."

"All right, so how painful is this going to be. Wait…does Ash know about this?"

Savitar shook his head carefully and Alicia's heart fell. She was about to explode in a fit of temper when a very tall man with a definite Mediterranean look to him walked over to the table. "Hey Savitar, what brings you to these parts?"

"Dante, good to see you. How's Pandora doing?"

The other man smiled as he thought about his wife and explained, "She's good, pregnant again."

"Ah congratulations. Oh, sorry," he said indicating Alicia with a wave of his hand, "Dante I'd like you to meet my sister Phaedryn. Phae, Dante Pontis. This is his club."

Dante swiveled a chair around and sat backwards on it, "I didn't know you had a sister Sav." He took Alicia's hand in his and kissed her knuckle softly. "Charmed my lady."

"It's a pleasure Mr. Pontis."

"Please, Dante. So where has he been hiding you all these years that I never met you before now?"

She was slightly upset about the distraction because she wanted answers from Savitar but it was probably better that she had a moment to calm down before she caused a scene in the club. "Oh various places. You know how older brothers can be, always protecting the young kiddies."

Dante laughed at that, he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Well, I'll leave you two to talk. It was a pleasure meeting you Phaedryn and you are always welcome here." He stood back up and nodded to her then Savitar and he wandered off.

Alicia gave him a moment to get out of earshot, which knowing that he was a were hunter was quite a distance, and then she turned back to Savitar. "Okay, I don't want any more cryptic shit from you Sav. Explain this all to me please."

He nodded at her, "You know I can't tell you everything. However, you need to die to give your powers and your energy to the baby. You will die in childbirth but once the baby's born you can be resurrected made immortal. It just has to happen fast before your soul escapes."

She studied his face, "That's it? There's got to be a catch."

He snorted at that, "Isn't there always? Yeah, Ash can't know anything about it. No one can but us." She rested her chin on her hands and waited for him to continue. "If he knows about it he'll try to stop it before it happens and the transfer of the power won't take place. Phae, this _has_ to happen just like this or it's all going to be a colossal waste of time."

"Can we, one of these days, just have a normal conversation without all the drama?"

Savitar laughed loudly at that, "Yeah I guess it's something to shoot for huh?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. Okay, next topic of discussion." She looked over her shoulder and waved down the waitress that had come by earlier. She ordered a soda and a hamburger and then looked back to her brother, "Okay, if I'm going to have to die, I've got a question for you brother dear." Savitar smirked at her and waited for her to continue. "How do I get married?"

"Uh, Phae, that's kind of unnecessary you know."

"Not to me it's not. I mean think about it, everyone I know is married, hell even Tabby got married and that's like the first sign of the apocalypse there. I know I've loved him for eleven thousand years now but a girl wants the big show ya know?"

He grinned at her persistence, "You women, you're all alike. Why does it matter so much? Aren't you a thoroughly modern woman?"

Alicia actually pouted a little at that, "Damn it Sav. This baby is going to belong to it's happily married parents come hell or high water. Now, I can't exactly schedule some time to have the local Atlantean minister come by for a service now can I? So how do I go about getting Ash to marry me?"

Savitar thought about it for a moment while the waitress delivered Alicia's hamburger. "Well I guess you'd start by asking him if he wanted to or not." She rolled her eyes at him. "Then I guess you'd have to find someone that could consecrate such a union. I'd suggest an Atlantean god but we're kind of short on those now days so…me?"

She chewed her hamburger thoughtfully, "Okay then, would you do it?"

He glared at her for a moment as if she'd asked the most idiotic question in the world. "Do you really need to ask that? No if you want this baby to be legitimate then legitimate it will be. You just need to convince what's his face of that."


	58. Chapter 58

Convincing Ash wasn't going to be half as hard as making sense of what Savitar had told her. She spent several days thinking it over and finally she called Xiovar to talk with him. He agreed with Savitar's proclamation that no one could know about it, especially Ash. She finally saw the sense of it all after Xiovar explained how the transfer would take place and why it was so very necessary. Plus if Ash knew that she was going to die he would do everything in his immense power to stop it from happening even if he knew the consequences.

"Fine, I get it. Now, how do we keep it from him?"

"That will require a bit more effort from you. Perhaps if you put it out of your mind he won't be able to see the truth. Or perhaps if his mind was directed to other pursuits he would not see the way of it all." Xiovar was good at seeing the larger truth of everything.

"Yeah well I've got an idea for that then." She told him about her suddenly overwhelming desire to be married to the man she loved.

Xiovar looked terribly confused, "But you are already mated are you not?"

Alicia burst into laughter at that. "Oh goodness that's funny. No, we're not actually 'mated' as you call it. Wait, how much about human, or in this case Atlantean, rituals do you know?" Xiovar shrugged in a very human response and she laughed again. "Okay, humans tend to believe in a ceremony called marriage. It's a lot like Charonte mating, one spouse for the rest of your lives, but with humans it happens before reproduction, usually. Now days it's kind of different but it's the same general principle."

"So Acheron and you did not have this ceremony?"

"No, unfortunately his human parents weren't too happy that he'd fallen for a poor farmer's daughter so they forbid him from seeing me. Of course you know how stubborn he is so we still managed to meet, a lot, but we never got married."

Xiovar stroked his chin in thought, "I see and why did you never marry?"

"Well for one I got killed before we had a chance. We'd talked about running away and living our lives in peace away from Atlantis but…well, you know who didn't want me alive and you know how she is about getting her way. And it's taken me eleven thousand years to find him again so I think it's about damn time. You know?"

Xiovar chuckled and nodded, he knew his mistress well enough now to know that she could be just as stubborn as certain Atlantean gods could be. Perhaps it was just a trait of Atlanteans in general. "Very well, then you should tell him that you will accept nothing less than marriage."

Alicia couldn't help but laugh at the demon, "Oh I will my friend, I will."

&&&&&&

When she contacted Ash via the sfora the next day she was delighted to see him draped across his bed, very naked and very happy to see her. "Ooo baby you are making me ache," she purred as she leaned closer to the image.

"That makes two of us that are aching, care to meet me somewhere and solve that problem?"

She closed her eyes and moaned softly, already imagining his touch. "Come get me," she whispered and felt his mind wrap around hers and pull her to the deserted beach they met at. She fell across space and landed in his strong arms, their naked bodies pressed against each other. Ash breathed her scent in deeply as he kissed her neck up and down sending shivers up her spine.

"Oh I've missed you," she sighed.

&&&&&&

They lay tangled together on the sand as the warm sunlight caressed their skin. Alicia sighed softly as she basked in the afterglow from their coupling. Ash trailed his fingers across her belly, marveling at the twitches and kicks he could feel from the baby. He tightened his arm around her shoulders and snuggled her up under his chin more as if he were trying to make her a part of his body.

"Mmmm, what are you thinking about?" he whispered.

She chuckled at his question, it was almost too easy, "Oh, just wondering what would have happened if…well if she hadn't killed me." She raised up on her elbow and looked at him, falling into the swirling silver of his eyes.

"Huh. I never really thought about it."

"Really? Hmmm, guess I had a bit more time to think things through between lives. So what do you think?"

Ash studied her face for a long time and the realization of how much she'd been able to think about what would be different finally sank in. He'd never known that Savitar had been reincarnating her all these years so after many years of mourning her he'd moved on with his life even though it hurt him to no end. Phaedryn however had to live with the knowledge that the man she loved was just out of reach for eleven thousand years. "Do you remember the afternoon in the bower?" he asked with a grin.

She thought about it for a moment and nodded with a smile. That had probably been the afternoon that she'd gotten pregnant. They used to meet in the bower of trees that was near his estate. It was a private place shielded from prying eyes. They had been rendezvousing there for weeks and they spent the afternoons making love and talking about how different their lives would be if they could just escape. Ash had talked about their running away and traveling to Greece or perhaps farther and while it was a daunting thought to her, Phaedryn had eagerly agreed. She had vowed to do anything to be with him. But fate had intervened and Apollymi had killed her before they could set their plans in motion.

"So you remember when I told you that I would do anything to make you my wife?" She nodded again at him and his grin broadened. "Well then, that's what would have happened. We would have run away and I would have married you and we would have had hundreds of fat babies. And you would still be just as beautiful as the day I met you."

"Hundreds of babies huh? And who'd be the one that had to take care of all of those fat babies? Surely you don't think that I would be the one because I'd be too busy running the vast estate we owned."

"Well then couldn't we afford a nanny? I would think that we could have several. And yes, we'd have hundreds of fat babies because I would make love to you many, many times a day, without a doubt." He kissed her softly and lost himself in the depths of her eyes.

"Okay, well how about we make that happen now?" He blinked up at her, not quite sure what she was getting at. "You can still make an honest woman of me you know. Especially now with the baby."

Ash took a moment to think about what she was asking and then he broke into a wide grin, "You still want to marry me? After all this time?"

Alicia nodded, "More than anything. I finally got you back after eleven thousand years, I'm not about to let you go again."

"That would make me happier than you can imagine Sati. Very well, if you'll still have me I would be honored to make you my wife." He hugged her close to his chest and she lay there quietly listening to his heartbeat. "Wait…are we just going to walk into a church or what?"

"Oh I was thinking that it would probably be more meaningful if a god married us you know?" She waited for a moment to let him figure out what she was saying. "Maybe Savitar could do it."

Ash broke out laughing, "Oh you planned that didn't you? You sneaky woman you. I can't believe I just walked into that trap."

Alicia managed to pull off a shocked look as she fluttered her eyelashes at him, "I would never try to trap you honey. You just happened to walk right in the direction I was steering you." They both laughed for a while and then she said, "Is that okay with you?"

He nodded, "I'd be honored if Sav would marry us."

"Good, 'cause he's waiting for the chance you know. Then he can hold it against me for eternity. Rotten bastard."

Ash rolled out from under her and pulled her to her feet. "Stand here for a second will you? I'll be right back." She barely had a chance to nod before he flashed out of existence. Within moments he was back grinning wildly at her. "Okay, stand there…" he knelt down on the sand in front of her and smiled up at her. "Phaedryn Akorethomis, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" He reached for her hand and slid a band of Atlantean tktari crystal onto her finger which made her gasp in shock.

"Where'd you get this?" she asked as she admired the crystal that she hadn't seen in eleven thousand years. Atlantean tktari crystal was only mined on the island and was perhaps the most beautiful mineral on the planet. The sunlight diffused through the band and made it glow so that it looked like Alicia was wearing a ring of pure light on her finger.

"Oh, I've had it a while," he grinned up at her and watched her stare at it. "Actually, I was saving that for this girl I was in love with way back when. I hope you don't mind that it's second hand." The look that she gave him made his heart melt.

"Oh I can't complain too much. After all I do know the girl, a little flighty but not a bad person. Plus it's not as important as the person who's giving it to me." She reached over and cupped his face in her hands and breathed, "Acheron Parthenopaeus, I have waited eleven thousand years to be your wife. I will be honored to marry you."

"Good because I really wasn't going to let you say no after all that."


	59. Chapter 59

When Alicia returned to Olympus she found Zarek and Astrid sitting in what she thought of as the living room. It was a large sunken area of the main part of the house filled with sofas and pillows and various piles of Markus's toys about too. Loud Eastern themed music was blaring from a stereo and Astrid was attempting to belly dance which was causing Zarek to double over in fits of giggles that were very unbecoming for a former Dark Hunter.

"Now what are you kids up to?" she asked from the doorway.

"Oh crap," Astrid said louder than she'd intended. She had been trying to learn to belly dance for Zarek because he'd commented one night about how he'd been through the Middle East at one point in time and found the belly dancers to be extremely erotic.

Alicia laughed and padded into the thickly carpeted room and flopped down on one of the sofas. "I can give you a hand if you'd like."

Zarek's eyebrows shot up and Astrid cocked her head in question. "Uh, okay?"

"Oh, well you know I got reincarnated a whole lot right? Well one of those lives kinda involved a bit of belly dancing, don't ask, long story. Anyway, I think I could probably still pull it off even though right now I'm more belly than dance."

Astrid giggled a bit and looked at Zarek who was still staring in disbelief at Alicia. "Oh you so have to tell me that story some day," he grinned. Then he gestured her over to his wife's side and leaned back on the couch like a sultan lording over his harem. "Anything you need there Alicia? Some veils, those little finger cymbal things?"

"Ha ha Zarek. Nope, I'm good like this. Actually, wait, let me change my clothes. I'll be right back." She loped out of the room towards her bedroom and changed into a pair of loose pants and a t-shirt. Once she returned she found Astrid waiting patiently as she talked excitedly to Zarek about something that Alicia couldn't quite make out. "Okay you nasty people stop your kinky talk."

Astrid managed to look suitably shocked and shook her head, "I wasn't talking about kinky stuff."

"Uh huh, and exactly _why_ are you learning to belly dance?" Astrid blinked a few times and turned a deep red color. "Right. I thought so."

Alicia walked over behind Astrid and put her hands on the other woman's hips, "Okay this is the basic movement," she said guiding Astrid's hips back and forth in a slow swivel. "Good, okay now keep your pelvis centered."

They worked on the basic motions of the dance and then Alicia moved into more complex rhythms and allowed Astrid to work her own moves into her dancing. Once Astrid had decided she'd had enough for the night Alicia flopped down on the pillows on the floor and smiled at her friends as Zarek wrapped Astrid in a crushing hug.

"I guess that's how you got pregnant huh?" Zarek questioned with a grin.

"What? No, Ash doesn't even know about that particular life." She thought about that for a moment and realized that Ash didn't know about most of her past lives. She really ought to sit down with him at some point and tell him all about them but that particular pastime could wait a little longer. After all once the baby was born, she would have the rest of eternity with him. Suddenly she missed Ash more than she could imagine and she'd just spent several incredible hours with him. Sighing loudly she rose from the couch and headed for her room, "I'll see you all later okay? I'm kind of tired."

"Sure, you need your rest," Astrid said gently. "Would you mind showing me some more of this later though? I kind of like it."

Alicia nodded with a grin and giggled a little as Zarek growled low in his throat at his wife as he buried his face in her neck. Apparently he liked it a lot too.

&&&&&&

A few days later after Alicia had recovered from her stay with Ash she flashed herself down into the alley behind Tabitha's shop. Strolling around the side of the building like nothing was unnatural about her she poked her head around the open doorway and grinned at Marla. Marla looked up and grinned at Alicia waving her into the shop.

"Hey Marla, Tabby around?"

"Sure hon, she's in the back want me to go get her for you?"

Alicia carefully waited until Marla had gone off into the back room before she came all the way into the shop. Neither one of them knew about her pregnancy and she wanted to surprise Tabby with it. She wandered into the store and turned her back to the rear door and started looking at things on the shelf in front of her.

"Hey Alicia, it's been a while girl. What have you been up….to?" Tabitha's jaw dropped as Alicia turned around and she took in the swell of her friend's belly. "Oh my…mother of god!" Tabby broke into the widest grin Alicia had ever seen and ran across the store to grab her friend up in a hug.

"Ha, 'mother of god'. That's almost funny." Alicia said as Tabby squeezed her tightly. She forgot for a moment that not too many people actually knew what Ash really was and she winced as she heard her words leave her mouth. Luckily Tabitha was completely distracted and didn't catch the joke.

"Holy crap Ally! When did this happen?" Tabitha said as she pushed Alicia back to arms length and took in the sight of her friend. "Wait…is who I think the father the father?"

Alicia nodded and grinned at her, "Yes, and that needs to stay quiet for a while okay?"

"Right, lips zipped and all that. Oh my heavens, Val is gonna have a shit fit. So why the hell didn't you tell me about this before now? You know I'm pissed right?"

"I know Tab, it's just one of those things you know? Plus I haven't actually been around so to speak."

Tabitha motioned for Alicia to follow her back through the back of the store to her small break room and waited until Alicia sat down. "You want something to drink? Some tea or some juice maybe?" Alicia shook her head no and Tabitha sat down on the other side of the table. "Okay, so tell me what you can."

"All right, well…" she thought for a moment about what Tabby already knew and put some pieces in line to tell her. "Okay for starters, yes, Ash is the father. Second, this," she put her hands on the swell of her stomach, "is what I'm supposed to be doing. Remember that fate thing?" Tabitha nodded. "Yeah well this is what fate created me for. Next, I've been on Olympus for a while so not much of a cell phone signal ya know?"

"Should I ask or are you gonna explain that one?"

Alicia managed to look kind of sheepish and glanced at the back door. "You want to go get some coffee?"

Tabby shrugged and grabbed her small purse, "Yup, let's go hit the Café shall we? I could use some beignets."


	60. Chapter 60

"Okay, start talking girlie," Tabitha said once they'd found a seat on the patio of Café Du Monde and ordered. "I am dying to hear this one. Wait, is it better than the explanation for the bloody orgy pit?"

Alicia laughed as she recalled the night that Tabitha was talking about. It hadn't been an orgy pit but it surely had looked like something odd to Tabby. "Well I don't know, you'll have to tell me." She waited for a moment while the waitress brought their drinks and a large basket of beignets. "Okay so remember the part about the nasty goddess who wants me dead?"

"Yeah, the one that killed you way back when right?"

"That's the one. Well she found out that I'm still kicking and she tried harder. Almost got me too. So I've been hidden in the one place she can't reach me."

"Wow, that's cool. So are you god-like now?"

Alicia reached for another beignet and bit into it spreading the powdered sugar everywhere and not caring. It had been too long since she'd had one of the delicious deserts and she was relishing them now. "Not the way you'd think. I can't be all the way or the little person will suffer for it. Basically I'm just enough that I can survive on the mountain. So I get to hang out with Astrid and your brother in law until the big show starts."

Tabitha's eyes went wide at the mention of Zarek. Valerius still didn't get along with his brother although the infighting was significantly less now days. "Well I certainly pity you if you've got to spend time with him."

Alicia laughed, "Oh he's not that bad. You just have to keep Astrid in the room and he's mainly civil. Plus I taught Astrid a new trick that should keep him occupied for a few more weeks."

"Oh, I so do not want to know about that. All right so what happens when the little person makes it's debut?"

Alicia managed to actually look like she didn't know when she shrugged, "Not sure. Ash says that he's going to wave his magic wand and make me immortal but you know how the Fates are. Even getting to hang out with them all this time and they still won't tell me anything. Kind of maddening you know?"

Tabby nodded her head shaking loose the powdered sugar that was all around her mouth, "How does that work now? Aren't they Greek entities?" When Alicia said yes she looked confused, "Okay so if you're an Atlantean how do they have domain over you?"

"Well probably because the Atlantean version of the Fates was destroyed along with the island but that's one of those things that I really can't explain." Alicia didn't really want to tell Tabby that she did in fact know why the Atlantean Fates didn't control her but that would mean she would have to explain Ash's background and that wasn't something she could do.

"All right, I'll just drop that one then. So how far along are you?"

Alicia sipped at the massive cup of tea that she had in front of her and stopped to do some math, "Um, a little over six months I think. Time doesn't quite run the same on the mountain as it does here. So I'm kind of guessing."

Tabitha grinned and reached for another pastry, "Well then I guess we don't have long to go shopping then do we? I know Mandy's been done forever now and I think she's on the fifteenth redecorating of the baby's room. So do you know if it's a girl or a boy?"

Alicia shook her head, no one had told her if they knew and frankly she didn't want to know. She was thrilled at the surprise of it all and she didn't want to ruin it. The two women chatted for a while about the baby and life in general for a while before Alicia launched into teasing Tabby about providing a few playmates for her child and for Mandy's children too. Tabitha swore up one side and down another that she would never have any children but Alicia could see the gleam in her eye that said otherwise.

She was about to get up from the table and say goodnight when she felt a tingle along her spine and a warm pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist. The grin on Tabitha's face told her that it was indeed the only person she knew that had the audacity to do that and she leaned her head back onto Ash's shoulder. "Hey you. Where'd you come from?"

He turned her around to face him and he smiled down at her, "Do you really need to ask that?"

Alicia glared up at him and he burst out laughing, "No really, I didn't know you were in town or I would have told you I was here."

"Well I wasn't in town until a few minutes ago so there you go. How are you doing tonight?" She tipped up on her toes and pulled him down for a soft kiss. "Mmmm, that good huh? Hey Tabby how are you doing?"

"Pissed off! Why the hell has it been over six months here and I knew nothing about this?" She was flailing her hands about in Alicia's direction and giving Ash death glares. "All this time you've been making excuses as to why she's never around any more and you…you…oh!"

Both Ash and Alicia were trying their hardest not to laugh at the other woman and it wasn't working too well. Alicia actually buried her face in Ash's chest so she wouldn't offend Tabby by laughing but the look on the other woman's face was priceless. "Are you done yet?" Ash asked after a minute.

Tabitha planted her fists on her hips and scowled at him, "I suppose so."

"Good, now has Alicia explained it all to you or do I need to save my own ass here?"


	61. Chapter 61

Several days later Savitar contacted Alicia through the sfora and asked her to meet him to talk. Wondering what he could want she agreed and allowed him to flash her to a busy park in a beautiful city. She sat on a bench next to him and looked around to determine where they were.

"Russia?" she asked as she caught snippets of conversations around her.

Savitar nodded and confirmed it, "Leningrad. I thought we could have a bit of privacy here. So how ya been sis?"

"Not bad, tired. The little one is sucking all my energy. But Astrid says that's the way of it." She smiled over at him and wondered what the look of concern on his face was for. "Okay, spit it out. What's the drama now?"

"Just getting worried about you now that it's getting to be near that time. How are you holding up?"

She folded her hands in her lap and looked at the pigeons scattered on the ground in front of them, "What with my impending death and all? Not too bad I guess. I've kind of put it out of my mind."

He chuckled at her sarcastic response, "Okay but you need to be ready for it anyway. Um…have you talked to Xiovar about it yet?"

Alicia shook her head and looked at him confused, "Yeah, he's trying to get ready for it. He's told Xirena so she can restrain him if it takes longer than he can handle."

"Good. Wait, does Simi know about it because she might tell Ash accidentally?"

"No, I asked him to keep it from her and I think Xirena will as well. She seems to be quite taken with my demon Cassanova."

"Well at least you can reassure him that it's only a temporary death." Savitar laughed weakly, "Just tell him that I give him my word of honor that I won't let it be permanent. Oh, and on that note, you need to let me know the instant you go into labor."

Alicia winced at the thought, "Oh please tell me that you don't intend on being there so you can see all the grossness."

"No, I'll let you do your thing alone, I just want to keep a handle on the situation as it were in case Acheron freaks."

"Freaks how?"

Savitar studied her face, noting all of the little lines and wrinkles that creased her eyes and the dark shadows under them. "Well you know he's going to freak out when you die right?"

Alicia thought about it for a second and the mental image of his panic registered in her mind. "Oh shit."

He nodded at her and flashed a bag of bread onto the bench between them. She stared at the bag for a moment in question and then reached for it to feed the pigeons flocking around them. "So don't you think it's a good idea if at least one of us is paying attention?"

"Yeah I suppose it is. So you're not going to drop the ball on me are you?" She knew that he wouldn't let her die for good but to reassure her own mind she had to ask.

Savitar smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Now you know if I did that you'd haunt me for the rest of eternity and I'd never get a moments peace so, emphatically no, I will not drop the ball. Just let me know when it's happening and I'll be there for you, even if I'm not there." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and then vanished from the bench leaving her to think things through as she fed the pigeons.

&&&&&&

"I need some alone time with you, are you busy?" Alicia said into the shiny water like surface of the sfora. Xiovar's face wavered and swirled a little as he moved closer to the face of the window. "Would you mind meeting me someplace?"

"Of course my lady. Where shall I find you?"

"Hmmm, how about the San Diego Zoo? I haven't been there in ages and I think you'll enjoy it." She visualized where she wanted him to meet her and then she flashed herself there. Xiovar appeared in his human form a few moments later and wrapped her in a hug.

"I have missed you fiercely my lady."

Alicia batted him on the shoulder and scolded him, "Stop that damn it. My name is Alicia." Xiovar looked mildly repentant but more so amused. "Fine you brat, let's go look at cool animals shall we? You'll love the pandas, they are soooo cute!"

The walked around the zoo together, Xiovar holding her hand and renewing his bond with her through contact as she told him about the animals that San Diego had that New Orleans didn't. He truly did enjoy the pandas when they got to their enclosure. The bearlike creatures were very adorable as they romped and played and Alicia couldn't help but enjoy his enthusiasm for them. She also had an inkling that he would be an outstanding guardian to the baby when it came.

"So let's sit for a moment and chat shall we?" she said hesitantly. She really didn't want to go into this discussion with him but she also didn't want to have him go insane at her death no matter how temporary it was. They sat on a bench across from the panda enclosure and he studied her face as she formed the words in her mind that she needed to ask of him.

"Something troubles you deeply Alicia, what is it?"

Looking up into his very human face she sighed, "Xiovar, I'm still worried about what's going to happen to you when I die."

"Why?" he asked loudly causing several people to look over in question.

"Quiet!" she hissed at him. When people stopped paying attention to them she continued on, "I just have a bad feeling about it. I'm not sure why it's bugging me but it is, something fierce," she held up a hand to stop the next tirade that threatened to erupt from him, "Savitar will be watching and if Acheron doesn't make me immortal then he will. So put your mind at ease, you and I are going to be a team for a long time to come. I'm just worried about what the effect of this is going to have on you."

"You are sure that they will be able to bring you back?" Xiovar reached over and pulled her hands into his lap caressing her fingers. Apparently the trait that Simi had about needing contact when she was agitated was something all Charonte shared.

"Savitar gives you his word of honor that I will be returned." She smiled at him patiently and hoped that she was conveying her certainty in the matter.

"Then I shall not worry. Well, not as much. You know that it will hurt me immensely."

"Uh, no I didn't know that. Oh Xiovar I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to hurt you."

He looked deeply into her eyes and she could feel his strength pulsing through her. "It does not matter. If this is something that must happen to stop her, then so be it." He paused for a moment and cocked his head to one side, "I will have to speak to Xirena about further assistance. I think will need to be restrained."

"Do you think that Xirena alone can handle it?"

Xiovar rose from the bench and paced in front of her for a moment or two, "If she sedates me it is possible. However that may be unnecessary if your 'death' is quick. No, if I prepare myself for this I can control my urges." He turned to her and smiled as he held out his hand and helped he up from the bench. "I will do whatever I must Akra," he held a finger to her lips to quiet her protest of the Atlantean term for 'mistress'. "You are well worth it."


	62. Chapter 62

They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the zoo and enjoying the beautiful day while catching up on each other's goings on. Xiovar blushingly admitted to her that he had struck up a relationship with Xirena and both of them were quite happy about it.

"Well that's good. I'm happy for you," Alicia cooed as they walked. "So…when am I going to get a wee protector for my little godling out of the deal?"

Xiovar roared with laughter and doubled over clutching his stomach, "Oh my lady you amuse me." Alicia blinked at the demon and waited for him to explain his laughter. "You have never experienced an infant Charonte before have you?"

"No. I was just a farmer's daughter remember?"

"Ah yes, I forget at times because of your presence." She raised an eyebrow at him but he continued on without waiting for her to respond. "An infant Charonte is more like a wild animal than a baby as you know it. Their appetites are very difficult to slake and no child, no matter how godlike, would be safe near one. No, your godling, as you call it, will have to wait quite a while to bond with a Charonte. However, I will do what I must to propagate the species."

Now it was Alicia's turn to laugh heartily because the look of utter lust on the demon's face told her that 'propagating the species' was by no means a hardship for him. "Nice, so you mean I'm going to have to defend my baby all by myself until there's a teenage Charonte about?"

"Oh I think that this little one will have plenty of protectors about. I think it will be safer even than the Skywalker twins surrounded by a thousand Jedi."

Alicia laughed even harder at the Star Wars reference and she knew that indeed her child would be well looked after. What with three Charonte demons, two gods and a host of ex dark hunters and were hunters about, very few beings would even consider thinking harmful thoughts near the child. "You know you and I are definitely going to have to dress up as Jedi for Halloween."

Xiovar's head whipped around at her and the expression of confusion on his face was priceless, "What is this Halloween?"

Alicia looked at him in amusement, "How long have you been alive?"

He thought about it for a moment and said, "In human terms I have been alive for nearly 12 thousand years. Why do you ask?"

"Well since you've been in Kalosis for so many of those years I doubt you've had the experience of Halloween yet. Oh you're gonna have so much fun! You get to dress up as whoever or whatever you want to be and then go from house to house collecting candy. It's a hoot."

"It sounds quite enjoyable, when does this occur?"

"Not until the end of October but, well we'll have to see what happens. We may not even be here then." She rubbed the swell of her belly to illustrate her point and smiled up at him. "But I should probably say no, gods know I really don't need a Charonte all hopped up on a sugar high."

Xiovar wondered exactly what a 'sugar high' was but didn't bother to ask. He had learned long ago that humans were often referring to something that he had no understanding of, Alicia especially.

They finished their circuit of the zoo and said their goodbyes as the sun was setting. Alicia hugged the demon tightly and told him that she would miss him terribly. "Oh crap, did I tell you when the wedding is going to be?"

He shook his head, "No my lady, but Danger seems to be quite excited about the plans. She is preparing the throne room for a celebration the likes of which have never been seen."

"Oh well, there goes quite and sedate huh? Well I guess it's okay, I didn't get anything grand when I was alive the first time so I guess I'm a bit over due."

"And from what I have seen and Danger's explanations, you deserve nothing less."

Alicia actually blushed at the thought of it and nodded, "Very well, so you'll be at the wedding I take it?"

Xiovar guffawed loudly, "I would not miss it for anything. Danger said that it will be in two weeks time is that correct?"

Alicia nodded and smiled, "Yup, I guess that's one more thing I have to steel myself for huh?" 

"You act as if it is a hardship to marry Acheron," Xiovar mused as he arched an eyebrow at her.

"Oh no, that's not the bad part. The bad part is going to be trying to explain to Mandy and Tabby the traditions of Atlantean culture and their lack of bridesmaids in wedding parties. I've never seen two women so eager to be bridesmaids before in my many, many lives. Yeesh!"

Xiovar's laughter rang out across the parking lot of the zoo and Alicia couldn't help but giggle along with him. "I am sure that you will be able to explain to them that Atlantean culture is a bit different from what they know now. You of all people can talk sense into those two." She nodded up at him and kissed him on the cheek once more before she flashed herself back to Olympus.


	63. Chapter 63

"So I hear you're going completely overboard on this wedding thing Danger," Alicia said with a giggle into the sfora.

"Oh you totally can't blame me for this hon. You need to talk to 'Mister Moony Eyes' about the going overboard part."

"Okay you totally have to explain that one to me Danger."

The former dark huntress laughed and rolled her eyes, "Oh sweetie I'm not sure what you've done to Ash but keep it up will ya? I've never seen him in such a good mood and I've known him for a very long time you know. He's been walking around here like he's floating on a cloud and pretty much nothing is upsetting him these days, not even his cell phone."

"You're kidding me!"

Danger shook her head again, "Nope, I'm totally serious. Well he is upset when he sees that it's not you but…Yeah, not even the cell phone is pissing him off these days."

"Whoa. Well shit Danger what do I do now?"

The surface of the sfora wavered as Danger laughed, "You need to enjoy it that's what you do! Just go with it, enjoy it and have some fun. You've been through enough crap in your life…lives to deserve to be treated like a goddess for a while. Let him do it."

Sighing loudly Alicia rolled her eyes and silently consented. When Danger noted the consent she grinned and clapped her hands together in a very girlish gesture. "Oh I'm really in for it now aren't I?" Alicia asked.

"No, you just agreed to let me go overboard is all. Okay, so you've got a dress for this shindig huh?"

Alicia's eyes twinkled in delight, "Yup, I had a friend whip me up something spiffy."

Now it was Danger's turn to look apprehensive, "Now what does that mean?"

Chuckling at the look she got from the other woman Alicia answered, "Xiovar found me something distinctly Atlantean. So yeah, the dress is checked off the list."

"Okay then. Well I'll just get some food together and decorate the place and let everything else just happen okay?"

"Sounds good to me. I guess I'll see you there then."

&&&&&&

The morning of the wedding Alicia woke to find Savitar standing at the foot of her bed. She controlled the scream that threatened to escape from her and threw a pillow at his head.

"Whoa, you are so not a morning person little sister."

"Damn it Sav, you could warn a girl before you just appear like that."

He laughed as he picked the pillow up off the floor and came around the side of the bed to sit down beside her. "Yeah but would you have let me in if I warned you?"

"Not until I got dressed. Jerk."

"See? Now you know why I didn't ask. So you ready for this?"

Alicia rose from the bed and walked over to look up at him. There was a sense of amusement in his eyes and a slight smile on his lips. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Savitar nodded and put an arm around her shoulder, "You're damn straight I am. I've worked long and hard to get you out of my hair and the moment has finally come. I can wash my hands of you and yes I'm gloating about it."

"You are such a self centered asshole you know that? Don't you care anything about the rest of the world?"

Suddenly his face went deadly serious, "Of course I do. Why else would you be here? Phae, you, of all people, know exactly how much I care about the balance of all of this. Of course I'd rather spend my days doing nothing but surfing and enjoying the Zen of it all but until that little person in there rights the wrongs of the moment I can't stop paying attention to all of the big bad. And even when the baby's born I'll only get a short break before the nasty comes back and tries something else to wreck everyone's day. You know it all already so don't tell me that I'm not a caring individual." He huffed at her and crossed his arms like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum.

"Yeesh Sav, don't get your panties in a bunch okay? Yeah I know exactly what you do and you should know that I'm kidding." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Now get the hell out so I can get dressed and get out of your hair."

He grinned at her again as if his temper tantrum had never happened. "Fine. Oh, I've got something for you. Close your eyes." He waited until she had and he placed two fingers in the center of her forehead. A flash of light exploded from his fingers against her skin and she gasped as it burned her. "Wait, one more," he said and moved his fingers to her heart. "Okay you're good to go."

She opened her eyes and cocked her head at him, "Whoa, I thought I had to wait on that."

He smiled at her and gave her a wink, "Not all of the god powers need to wait on immortality. What I gave you won't hurt the little one. Just keep quiet about it and only use what I gave you if you really need it. Get dressed and I'll see you in a little while." He winked at her once more and vanished.


	64. Chapter 64

Astrid had just finished pinning her hair up in a spectacular cascade of curls and flowers when Zarek poked his head into Alicia's room. "The men folk are getting impatient ladies, can you get a move on?"

"Perfection takes time dear heart, now get out," Astrid said as she continued to fluff the back of her creation for effect. Zarek chuckled and backed out of the room again. "You're done sweetie, what do you think?"

Alicia opened her eyes and gazed at the incredible job that Astrid had done on her, "Wow, if that doesn't turn heads nothing will huh?" She stood up slowly and looked at herself in the full length mirror smiling at what she saw. Even though she was very obviously pregnant the rich blood red dress of Atlantean silk she wore floated around her like a cloud and Astrid's attention to her hair completed the effect. "Thank you Astrid, I feel like a goddess."

"Well that's not too far off the mark now is it?"

Alicia laughed at the comment and took her friend's hand, "Let's get going so Sav doesn't send out a search party for me."

&&&&&&

They flashed themselves directly to the throne room of Katoteros with Alicia standing behind Zarek and Astrid so that she wasn't seen immediately. A wave of gasps whispered through the room as they stepped to either side of her and revealed her to the room. She smiled as she found Ash standing in front of the throne with Savitar and the look on his face made her heart flutter. Suddenly she couldn't move because she was so overwhelmed with emotion at what was happening.

Zarek put a gentle hand at the small of her back and pushed her forward a bit. She stepped forward and up onto the first stair that lead up to the platform the throne was on where Xiovar waited for her. The demon smiled at her with a toothy grin that if she didn't know any better would look for all the world like a threat but she could feel the love he was emitting and she swelled with the same feeling as she reached for his hand. She felt his energy course through her and caress her like a warm blanket as he helped her up the stairs.

Once they'd reached the top of the platform Xiovar guided her to Ash's side and everything else disappeared from her vision but him. He stood next to the throne in an outfit of leather and silk that would only suit Atlantean royalty and he glowed with happiness as she stepped up in front of him. Savitar cleared his throat and rested one hand on each of their shoulders filling them with his energy.

Alicia didn't even hear the words that Savitar was speaking because all she could do was stare up into Ash's eyes. The swirling silver of them was tinged with all of the colors of the rainbow showing her just how happy he was. Then he reached for her hands and laced his fingers with her own and leaned over to rest his forehead against her own.

"You with me still?" Ash whispered at her. When she nodded slightly against him he smiled. Then in a louder voice so that everyone could hear even though few of them could understand the Atlantean dialect he said, "You are the light of my life. The fire that burns in my soul. The life that courses through my veins and I will never let you go."

Alicia repeated the words with as much feeling as he had and she blinked back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. Savitar said the last words of the binding ceremony and stepped backwards off the throne dais to allow the couple to have more room. Ash wrapped her in his arms and looked into her eyes before he said, "Phaedryn Akorethomis, I love you with all of my heart and I will never let you go again without a fight. I will love you for the rest of eternity and I am honored that you will be my wife and my lover and the mother to my children."

She smiled at him and swallowed the lump in her throat so she could speak, "Acheron Parthenopaeus, I will never leave your side again without a fight. I have loved you since the day I met you and I will not stop loving you until time ends. You honor me with your love and I will happily stand by your side as your wife, your lover and the mother of your children."

Acheron leaned over and kissed her deeply allowing the incredible tide of love he felt for her erupt from his body in a blinding flash of light that enveloped them both in it's warmth. Everyone in the room shielded their eyes from the brilliant light until it dimmed and returned to wherever it came from within Ash. Once the light was gone and the people in the room could see them embraced in their kiss they all began applauding and whistling to toast the couple.

Ash finally broke the kiss reluctantly and he caressed her cheek as he lost himself in her eyes. He swore to himself that he could see her soul in the depths of her gaze and it warmed his own soul. Then he saw something more and he inhaled sharply as he realized what it was. Alicia was studying his face too and she saw his reaction to the gift that Savitar had given her. Smiling up at him she winked and nodded to let him know that he was correct about what he was seeing.

"Well I guess I can't hide anything from you now can I?" he grinned.

"You never could Sati," she breathed as she laid her head on his chest and delighted at the warmth of his skin.

The group of friends that had gathered to witness the ceremony all grouped around the couple and congratulated them. Alicia was thrilled to see Tabby and Valerius standing next to Kyrian and Amanda as well as Astrid and Zarek and Danger and Alexion and all of the Charontes. The pterygsauras hovered around the throne in an orange cloud of squawking delight. Savitar hung back from the group but joined in once Ash had beckoned him over.

"Thank you Savitar," he said as he shook his friend's hand and clapped him on the shoulder. "You have given me everything I could ever desire and I can't begin to thank you enough."

"Ha! Oh Ash you're in for a surprise my friend. You've never had the joys of having to live with my sister you know. She's quite a handful."

Ash studied Savitar's dark face and tried to decide if the other being was kidding or not. "I don't think I'll have too much of a problem with that. After all I've potty trained a Charonte. I can probably handle whatever Phae can dish out."

Savitar shuddered a little, "You're either the bravest person I've ever met or you are a total psycho you know that?"

Ash couldn't hold in his laughter any longer, "You _do_ know who my mother is right?"

Savitar nodded slowly, "Yes, and I _do_ know who and what your wife and child are too." Ash pondered that for a moment and shrugged. "Yeah, you're right, better not to worry about it. Okay, I'm starting to shrivel from lack of water so I'm going to say goodbye to Phae and get back to my waves. Take care of her my friend and I'm glad you two found each other again." He clapped Ash on the shoulder and wandered over to his sister and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Hey baby sister, I'm going to head out. You have fun but take it easy on the little one okay?"

Alicia smiled as she reached over to hug her brother and kiss him on the cheek. While they were still embraced he whispered in her ear, "Please don't let that errand go too long. It's coming to a boiling point pretty soon."

The look of concern on her face made him frown, "Why do I have to do this? Wouldn't you be the better person to talk to him?"

Savitar shook his head and smiled, "Don't you know by now that you're the soft touch and I'm…well, not? Nope, you're the one that can talk sense to him not me. Call me when you're done with that and…" he trailed off and looked pointedly at her conveying everything else he needed to say in a single glance. Then he kissed her on the forehead and vanished.


	65. Chapter 65

The party to celebrate the marriage lasted long into the night. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves and the laughter and music flowed through the throne room. Ash delighted in dancing with Alicia and Simi more than any of the other women but everyone got a chance at him and he proved himself to be a very nimble dancer.

Eventually Ash stopped dancing and pulled Alicia to a stop next to him. "I know that most of you don't quite get the gist of the Atlantean marriage ceremony so allow me to explain a few things to those of you that aren't quite as old as we are." He smiled at Alicia and slung an arm around her waist. "Well you got the idea of the exchange of vows and that's about where the similarities to modern weddings ends. Right about now comes the point in the festivities when we are supposed to symbolize our commitment to each other by exchanging something that is deeply meaningful to ourselves." He turned to face his wife and took her hands in his own, "I thought long and hard about what to give you to show you how much I love you and, well after all these years it's kind of hard to come up with anything. So I'm going to give you the only thing other than my name that I can," he put his hand over her heart and locked eyes with her. In a moment a warm blue light started glowing under his hand and expanded to cover her chest. It faded away after a few seconds and he removed his hand to show her what he had done.

She looked down to find the symbol of the Atlantean royal family and the sign of his godhood emblazoned over her heart like a tattoo. "Oh Sati…" she whispered as she looked up at his smiling face. She traced the pattern of the three lightning bolts piercing a sun with her fingers and was at a loss for words. "I don't think I can top that."

Xiovar poked his head over her shoulder and smiled down at the symbol, "You are richly deserving of that my lady. No one is more appropriate to wear that symbol than you."

Alicia blinked back the tear that was threatening to escape from her eye and she batted the demon on the arm to give herself a moment to recover. "Not bad for a farmer's daughter huh?"

Ash laughed deeply, "Oh I think you're a bit past being just a farmer's daughter Phae."

Everyone milled around the couple looking at the symbol, most of them not quite sure what it really meant. Ash didn't announce the fact that he was a god to many people and no one in the room other than Alexion and the Charontes actually knew what the symbol represented anyway, they just knew that it was the symbol that hung from the chain that Ash wore.

Alicia smiled over at Xiovar and nodded her head to tell him that she had decided that sharing with Ash the knowledge of all of her past lives was the best thing that she could give him. Xiovar had suggested it and she had hesitated before agreeing to that or anything else. Now the demon smiled and nodded his head to tell her that he approved. She gulped loudly as she stepped over in front of Ash because she still wasn't sure how he would react to the knowledge of all of the lives she'd lived without him. When she looked up into his face and saw the incredible amount of love in his eyes she stopped hesitating and put her arms on his.

"Acheron, I couldn't think of anything to give you either. What do you give to someone who'd been alive for eleven thousand years? So I want to give you the only thing I know that you don't have," she smiled at him and put her hands on either side of his face. Then she closed her eyes and poured all of the knowledge of every second of every life she'd ever lead through her touch. A haze of images floated in the air around them making the other people in the room whisper in awe of the diversity of the sights they were seeing.

Tabitha blinked in shock when she flicked her gaze back to the couple who now both looked very demonic in the middle of the images. Ash looked like his skin was blue and she could swear that she saw horns on his head. Alicia looked more reddish but her skin held the same marbled pattern to it that Ash's did and there seemed to be tiny horns poking out of her upswept hair. Then Tabitha blinked and the image was gone leaving her wondering if she'd really seen it.

When Alicia was done giving him the knowledge of her lives he staggered back and gasped, "I…oh Phae, thank you." He looked sadly at her and then pulled her into a crushing hug. "Thank you so much Sati."

Everyone else started clapping for the couple because they couldn't figure out what else to do while Ash and Alicia stood in the center of the room just staring at each other. Finally they broke apart and Ash grabbed a glass of wine to hold up in the air for a toast. "Thank you all for joining us in this most glorious of days. I toast you all in friendship and I want you to know how much we both treasure every one of you." Then he turned to Alicia and raised his cup again, "And to you my beautiful wife. I've waited eleven thousand years for you and I would wait eleven thousand more if I had to. But now, I will never let you go again. I love you Phae."

A chorus of "here here" and other well wished came from the group. Once they had settled back down a little Alexion toasted the couple and then everyone else did one by one thanking them for their friendship and several other things that they had been given over the years. Finally after everyone had had a turn Xiovar grabbed his mistress up and whirled her around the dance floor. Amanda and Kyrian joined them and everyone else milled around chatting.

Valerius and Tabby edged their way over to Ash's side and wished him well once more. Then Tabitha's curiosity got the better of her and she blurted out, "Ash, why do you keep calling Alicia 'Phae'?"

Ash chuckled low in his throat and grinned at her, "Well because it's her name." Tabitha looked terribly confused so he elaborated, "Her original name is Phaedryn. I've been calling her Phae for…well forever. Savitar calls her that too."

"Huh," Tabby shrugged. "And who is Savitar?"

"He's my brother," Alicia said as she came back to her husband's side. "Long story Tabs, just let that one slide okay?"

Tabitha still looked confused but then shook her head and grinned at her friend. "So do I have to call you Phaedryn now?"

Alicia laughed and shook her head no, "Nope, I still answer to Alicia. Or Phaedryn, or Phae or whatever. I know who you're talking to." She tried hard to hide it but couldn't suppress the huge yawn that overwhelmed her.

"Little one getting the best of you huh?" Valerius asked.

She nodded and laid her head on Ash's arm. "Well maybe you should get some sleep Sati, you need all your strength to keep that little person safe," Ash said gently as he pulled her closer to him. "Why don't we call it a night?" He smiled down at her and raised his voice a little, "Everyone, if I may. I hate to break up the celebration but we're going to bed."

A chorus of "awwwws" echoed through the room but everyone nodded and moved towards the couple to say their goodnights. "You really don't have to leave Ash. I can find my own way to a bed."

He glared down at her, "Oh no you will not. Not without me. I've waited eleven thousand years to have you as my wife and I'm not about to walk away from you now. Oh no!" He laughed at her silly face, "They can live without me for a few days. Well, they'd better try at least because I'm not going to leave your bed for a long time."


	66. Chapter 66

Alicia woke with a start three weeks later and gasped as a sharp pain slid across her stomach. Her hand flew to the bulge of her belly as the contraction ripped across her muscles. "Oh no no no! Too early little person you gotta wait a little bit longer." She said as she gently massaged her stomach muscles. Another pain sliced across her middle and she doubled over in agony as all of her muscles contracted at once.

When the worst of the pain had passed and she could control her thoughts enough she screamed at the top of her lungs mentally, "Sav! Get your ass off your board and get ready, the little ones coming!"

She felt him brush reassuringly against her mind and question, "Are you sure? It's too early isn't it?"

Alicia blinked the last bits of sleep out of her eyes and winced as a secondary contraction slid across her middle. "No, apparently it's not too early. Be ready will ya?"

He sent a wave of comfort to her and she felt him leave as she struggled out of the bed and to her feet. Hoping it was a decent hour in New Orleans she flashed clothing onto herself and then flashed herself to the veterinary offices.

"Carson!" she shrieked as another contraction shot through her.

The vet came running through the offices at the sound of her desperation and grabbed her as she was about to collapse from the pain. "Holy shit! You're really early! How'd you get here?" he questioned as he helped her towards one of the exam rooms.

"Long story just…argh!" the contractions were coming hard and fast and it seemed to her like there was no respite in between them. Carson looked at her as he rested a palm on her stomach and looked at his watch.

"How long have they been coming?" he asked as he timed the spasms.

"About ten minutes now," she panted back.

Carson's eyes got wide as he realized how quickly her labor was reaching it's full strength. "Well, let's get you ready doll, it's show time." He helped her up onto the waiting exam table and pulled over a tray with some medical devices on it.

Carson was reaching for a pair of scissors to cut her pants off with when she grabbed his hand, "Whoa there buddy, I like these pants. Back off!" He raised and eyebrow as she wiggled her pants off and grabbed the paper sheet he handed to her. Once she'd settled herself on the table, as much as she could while the contractions were tearing through her she opened her mind up and yelled for Ash.

When she didn't get a response from him mentally she asked Carson to bring her a phone. His questioning look only lasted for a second as she glared at him. Once he handed it to her she dialed Ash's cell phone number from memory and listened as it connected and began ringing.

"C'mon baby pick up. Now is not the time to ignore your phone." Her heart raced as the muscles of her stomach began squeezing the baby downward forcing it out. Ash's voice mail clicked on and she growled at the phone. Then her water broke and she cringed as the pads under her soaked through. Glancing up at Carson she looked sheepish and he made a rolling motion with his hands to tell her that it was all part of the process. She hung up the phone and immediately dialed it back again hoping the Ash would get the hint if she pestered him.

"You're crowning hon, if you've got anyone coming to watch this they'd better get here damn fast." Carson said as he slid fresh pads under her butt.

Screaming as a stronger contraction tore through her she opened her mind to Ash and listened to the phone ringing. She was clenching the bed with one hand and the phone with the other as she felt an incredible need to push as hard as she could. She looked up at Carson who nodded at her as she began forcing the baby out of the narrow passage it had to go through.

Faintly behind all of the noise in her head she could hear Ash finally picking up the phone. "Sati?"

Grunting as the contraction finished rolling through her she tried lifting the phone back to her ear but another contraction was right behind the first and she dropped the phone to get a better grasp on the bed as she braced herself to push again.

"Good, now get ready to push again," Carson said as she screamed at him. "Almost there Alicia just another push or two and you're home free!"

Suddenly Ash appeared in the doorway and took in the sight of his wife in the middle of labor. Carson glanced over and then looked confused, "Ash? What are you…oh!' Apparently he figured out just why the Atlantean was there as Ash loped across the room in two giant strides and grabbed Alicia's hand.

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" Ash asked as he grabbed a wet cloth and started mopping the sweat streaming off her forehead.

Carson answered as he made eye contact with Alicia to get her to focus on his instructions. "She's only been in labor for about a half an hour now, there wasn't any time." Ash looked over at the other man and raised an eyebrow. "This baby wants out!"

Alicia pushed for all she was worth and she felt a series of vessels in her chest bursting as she did. There was nothing she could do about it, apparently that was how she was going to die, and she kept pushing to ease the pain. Her vision went blurry as Carson grinned at her and helped the baby out of it's confinement. "One more and you're there!" he cheered.

Ash was grinning from ear to ear as he looked over at Carson and helped Alicia raise up off the bed to push. He was oblivious to anything but the baby's arrival and he didn't know about the blood vessels bursting and Alicia's imminent death. She pushed her way through the contraction and felt the baby's shoulders squeeze through her cervix in a rush of blood and fluids.

"Perfect!" Carson said as he pulled the baby free and reached for a towel. "It's a girl!" He glanced back at Alicia once and noted the amount of blood that was pooling around her legs. Not wanting to show any indication of panic he tended to the baby as quickly as he could and then handed her to Ash's waiting arms and turned to attend to Alicia. Unfortunately she'd already slipped into unconsciousness and her heart was beating for the last time.


	67. Chapter 67

Acheron stared down at the tiny infant in his hands and marveled at how powerful her little lungs were. He sent comforting thoughts to her and she settled down for a moment and glanced up at him showing him that her eyes were a brilliant green edged with silver. His heart leapt to his throat and he was turning to show her to Alicia when the baby started howling again. He looked down at her and noticed that her head was now turned towards her mother who was lying on the exam table and being terribly still.

Ash blinked between Alicia's still form and Carson who was listening to her heart with a stethoscope. "What's happening Carson?"

The vet looked up at the other man sadly and shook his head grimly, "She's gone. I'm so sorry Ash."

Ash was about to panic when a blinding silver light burst from Alicia's chest over her heart and flew across the room slamming itself into the wailing infant in his arms. He could feel the heat from the blast through the blanket and the baby's scream was lost in the roaring in his head as the power from her mother transferred into her tiny body. He knew immediately what was happening and he held his daughter close as her body thrashed from the energy coursing through it. Whispering to her in a soft voice he told her that everything would be all right and comforted her with his mind and his voice as the light and the power from it waned.

Once she'd settled back down he looked over at Alicia's body sadly and strode towards her. The baby quieted down as she adjusted herself to not only her new environment but to the power that now flowed through her and she stilled altogether as Ash came up beside the body on the table.

He reached over sadly and stroked his hand across her forehead willing her back to life. When she still didn't move he looked up at the ceiling and roared in despair. Carson silently reached over and took the baby from him cradling the little girl in his arms and humming a calming tune as Ash wailed his grief to the heavens.

"No! You can't leave me. Not now…"

He couldn't make sense of what was happening. How could Phae have been given back to him and then taken away again? It was the cruelest thing that could have ever happened to him. Crueler than when she'd been taken all those years ago and all of the evils that had been heaped on him ever since then combined.

He was blinded by the tears that flowed down his cheeks as he draped his body across hers willing her back to life with every ounce of power he had. A firm hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed tightly pulling him back off of Alicia's body. Ash looked up to find Savitar standing there and the other being pulled him backwards shaking his head sadly.

"How can you let this happen?" Ash demanded.

Savitar looked over at him with no sense of grief whatsoever on his face. "It had to happen Ash. Now bring her back."

Ash still couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening, "I tried she's…"

Slowly and gently Savitar shook his head, "Think about it Ash. You're going about it wrong."

Ash looked confused for a moment and a darkness crossed his face as he thought about what Savitar had said. He still couldn't see what the other being was trying to say so Savitar stepped forward and laid a hand over Alicia's heart and closed his eyes. A moment later she took a great gulp of a breath and arched her back off the table as all of her organs started working again.

"Deep breaths Phae, give it a second now," Savitar said softly. She was panting and gasping for breath as he tried to calm her and he put a hand over her forehead too and closed his eyes again and infusing her with the rest of the power that he had promised her so long ago. A few moments later Ash was still gaping at them as Savitar nodded once and stepped back from the table.

Alicia's eyes opened and Ash could see the striking ring of gold around her iris that he remembered from so long ago. "Oh that sucked!" she said as she sat up carefully. "You could have warned me a bit more you know," she said to her brother as she steadied herself on the edge of the table.

"I told you it wasn't going to be easy, but you never have to do that again so quit whining."

Alicia looked over at Carson who was still trying to get the baby to calm down and said, "How's the baby?"

"She's fine," he replied bringing her over to her mother. "She's beautiful."

Savitar grinned as he looked over Carson's shoulder, "Of course she is. She looks just like her mother."

Ash suddenly snapped out of his confused stupor and lunged for his wife wrapping her in a crushing hug. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

She looked up at him and put a hand on his cheek, "I don't plan on it love." Carson handed the baby over to her and she immediately calmed down and snuggled into her mother's arms. "Hello beautiful," Alicia said as she studied her daughter's tiny face. "I guess we'd better come up with a name for you huh?"

"You know that you two owe me an explanation for all that," Ash said glancing between Savitar and Alicia. "But that can wait for a while. So Sati, what do you think we should name her?"

"Hmm…something Atlantean of course. Something pretty," she looked from person to person in the room and then down at her daughter who was happily wiggling in her mother's arms and wrapping her tiny fists in the hair that fell over her mother's shoulders. Alicia closed her eyes for a moment and thought about it and then looked up at Ash, "What do you think about Akrinea?"

He smiled as he looked at the two women he loved and the baby gurgled at the name. Smiling at his daughter he said, "I think she likes it. Akrinea it is."

Savitar smiled at them and nodded, "Can I hold my niece for a minute?"

Alicia grinned and gingerly handed the baby over to her brother, "I can't believe you'd want to hold her. You do have a heart after all huh?"

Savitar rolled his eyes at her and beamed at the baby, "Don't you listen to her sweetheart, Uncle Sav has a big heart. Well you've got a lot of work ahead of you little one, but you'll do just fine. When you're a little bit older you come see me and I'll teach you the beauty of surfing okay?" Akrinea gurgled again and blinked up at him. "Ha! I knew she'd be a surfer."


	68. Chapter 68

Carson said goodbye to the couple as they vanished from his offices and returned to Katoteros. They had talked about Alicia's returning to the Atlantean heaven after her ascension to immortality and now that there would be no side effects from her being there she would make the palace her home alongside her husband and their child.

They flashed themselves into the throne room and startled the flock of pterygsauras into a loud squawking flight. Ash hushed the little dragons but they crowed excitedly at his return. The noise soon brought Alexion and his eyes lit up at the sight of Alicia and the small form in her arms. "Danger! Simi, everyone! C'mere!" he called as he rushed over to the couple.

Alexion was grinning down at the tiny sleeping infant when the rest of the residents of Katoteros arrived from different corners of the palace. "When did this happen?"

Ash couldn't help but grin proudly at his wife and daughter. The group clustered around the couple and Ash cleared his throat loudly and motioned for them to push back a little bit. "Everyone, I'd like you all to meet our daughter. This is Akrinea. She was born a little while ago and I guess we need to welcome her to her new home."

Xiovar had worked his way around behind Alicia and was hugging her close to his chest from behind and marveling at the infant over her shoulder. "She is perfect my lady," he breathed in her ear. "Exactly like her mother."

Simi clapped her hands with sheer joy as she squealed in delight at the baby. "Oh Akri she is so cute! Can I hold her?" Ash looked down at Alicia and shrugged at her, it was her choice. He knew she didn't want to part with the baby yet. She had said that she was still bonding with her but Alicia grinned at Simi and passed the baby to her new auntie. "Akri? Can I show her all of the sparklies that we bought for her?"

Ash chuckled deeply and put a tender hand on Simi's shoulder, "Not quite yet Sim, she's still a bit young to appreciate the sparklies. Let's just stick with showing her how much we love her for now okay?"

"Oh pooh! She can too appreciate sparklies. We'll just wait until later though won't we Gapi?" Akrinea gurgled and cooed happily at Simi to the demon's extreme pleasure.

While Simi and Xirena were gushing over the baby Xiovar took the opportunity to pull his mistress aside and hug her tightly refreshing their bond. He stopped suddenly and spun her around to face him and he cupped her face in his hands. Glaring at her he tilted her face from side to side and stared into her eyes, "Akra, you are different."

She lowered her eyes and nodded slowly, "A little yes."

Xiovar growled low in his throat but it was a happy sound, "Ah, then I see that you are Phaedryn again. Is that correct?"

"Yes, but it doesn't matter what you call me." She held up a hand before he could say anything. "As long as it's not Akra. Okay?"

The demon bowed at the waist and curled up a lip in a demonic smile, "As you wish. Now, may we cut in on the females so that I may hold the baby?"

&&&&&&

They managed to settle the baby in quite well as she had no limit to the number of caretakers in the palace. Even the pterygsauras took to guarding her. Akrinea was also fascinated with the little dragons and Ash commented that it wouldn't be too long before she was agile enough to catch one of them and then the little dragons would think twice about getting so close.

About a week after the baby came home to Katoteros, Savitar contacted his sister through the sfora. "It's time to go do that favor for me Phae. It can't wait any longer."

"All right. Is he still in Seattle?"

Savitar nodded sadly. "Please make him see reason Phae. Bad things will happen if he doesn't."

"I'll do what I can Sav but what's going to happen if he doesn't listen?" His face fell and she could see the sadness of all of the pain he felt in his eyes. She didn't need him to say anything more, the look was enough. "Right, then I'll have to be extra persuasive won't I?" She promised him once more that she would do everything in her power to fix this problem and then shut down the connection between them.

&&&&&&

She told Ash that she was going to do a favor for Savitar but not what it was. He would be very upset if he knew so she asked him not to question it and he nodded carefully. "Fine, but how long will you be gone?" he asked looking down at the sleeping child in his arms.

"Not long enough for her to notice." She leaned over and kissed Akrinea on the head and then looked up at Ash. "I love you."

"That sounded pretty final Phae. You're coming back right?"

She laughed lightly trying to reassure him, "Sati, not even your mother could keep me away from you two now. Don't worry okay? I'll be back before you know it." She waited for him to put the baby into her crib and then she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. "It's not any different then when you go off helping the hunters you know."

Lifting her chin up so he could look her in the eyes he said softly, "I think it is Phae, I've been doing this for a very long time you know."

"Oh listen to you mister double standards. I'm not going to be doing anything dangerous and it's not like I don't have enough power to back myself up you know."

He smiled down at her and rolled his eyes, "Baby, you haven't exactly been in control of those powers for long now have you? I seem to remember you being very human for a very long time."

"Oh if you only knew." She shook her head ruefully but didn't argue with him. "Fine, I'll be careful. I'll let all of the hunters know where I'm going to be at all times and if you want I'll even take Otto along with me okay? It's been a while since I've seen him, it might be fun."

Ash managed to put so much frustration on the loud sigh he let out that she actually flinched. "Fine. I know you'll be fine. Just hurry back and you know how to get me if you need me right?"

She laid her head over his heart and listened to the steady thumping of it, "Yes Ash. Relax will you? Nothing's going to happen."


	69. Chapter 69

Nick Gautier felt like someone was watching him. He'd felt that itch between his shoulder blades all day and he just couldn't shake the feeling. He'd doubled back on his path several times now, giving anyone that was following him no chance to catch up, blending into the shadows of downtown Seattle. But still the feeling persisted.

"Damn it, I'm tired of this. Show yourself!" he shouted down the alley he was currently standing in. If it was Daimons they presented no threat to him. Not only was he a Dark Hunter but he was also Stryker's right hand man now. No Daimon would presume to attack him. Nothing in the alley stirred except the mild breeze. Fog was starting to envelop the city but that didn't affect his sight any and he still saw nothing.

Shrugging he turned and walked back out into the night. A few people strayed across his path, spilling out of clubs and bars as closing time neared. It was a Friday night so most were still dressed in their work suits and carried their briefcases. Farther on down the block was a dance club that catered more to the college students in the area and the groups of people here and there were more scantily attired as well as younger. Nick paid them very little attention as he stalked past them.

He reached a point in his patrol that was devoid of all life except for a stray cat here and there and he stopped, leaning against an abandoned warehouse. The fog licked at his ankles and he pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders. He couldn't feel the coolness of the air but the moisture annoyed him nonetheless.

"_Nick…"_ a voice whispered through the fog.

"What? Who's there?" he called pulling himself into a defensive posture. Nothing stirred around him except for the mist so he cocked his head to one side trying to find the source of the voice that kept echoing in the night. After a few moments of turning his head from side to side he turned back towards the dance club and walked carefully down the street.

It certainly wasn't anyone he knew. Stryker wouldn't call him. Instead if he wanted Nick's presence he'd simply pull him to Kalosis. Satara wouldn't announce herself either, she'd simply appear near him attempting to startle him. And it certainly wasn't any of the other hunters in the city.

Glancing around discretely he walked back along the path he'd come and he weaved his way in between the groups of people outside the club. "Nick?" a woman's voice asked from one side. "Is that you?"

He turned to the voice and found the woman he'd met at Neratiti, Alicia. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He put on as much of a smile as he could but it wasn't easy. Too many things in his 'life' made him frown these days.

"Oh just in town on some business. A friend told me about this place." Nothing she said was a lie. She was in town on business and several years ago a friend from school had mentioned this club. "Good to see you Nick."

"So is this what you meant by see you around the real world?"

"Not exactly but let's make it work shall we?" She motioned him to continue walking down the street away from the crowds. They had no real destination but she let him steer her along.

He chuckled at that phrase and cocked his head at her, "Are you flirting with me?"

Alicia managed to look somewhat demure and suggestive at the same time, "Nope. So how's that pickle?"

Nick blinked at her for a moment and then remembered the odd wording she'd used the last time they'd talked. "Getting better. I think I've got it under control now."

"Do you?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "From what I understand you're digging yourself deeper." Nick stopped dead in his tracks and glared at her. "What? You don't think I pay attention. Nick you're going to hurt a lot of people if you don't stop flirting with disaster."

"What are you talking about?"

She put a hand on his arm, which he certainly didn't like, and he shook it off defensively. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about Nick. You're walking the wrong path."

He stormed off several paces and then whirled and stared daggers into her. "I don't know what your game is lady but you know nothing about me or what I do."

"You've thought that before now haven't you?" She let that sink in for a moment. "Nick, Stryker is using you. Satara is using you and you, for some strange reason are letting them. Why?"

"How…?" he stuttered and shook his head as if he were clearing the fog from it. Then he grabbed her elbow and led her down the street farther away from the crowd outside the club. When he'd gotten her to an open alley he stopped and turned back to her, "How the hell do you know that?"

"I've told you before Nick, I know a lot of things." She looked completely innocent but her mind was searching or the presence of the reinforcements that she knew Nick had called for. "So what are we going to do about this?"

"Look, I don't know what your game is here but you're messing in a bunch of stuff you know nothing about. So you might want to go on home before you get hurt." The words came out in a growl and his black eyes were flashing in the dim light. If she had been human it may have scared her but that wasn't the case. She had seen beings much, much scarier than Nick Gautier and laughed in their face.

Alicia planted her hands on her hips and glared at him, "I'm not the one that's going to get hurt Nick. You are if you keep screwing around with Stryker. He's using you and if you keep listening to his crap you're going to end up someplace you really don't want to be. You know all about the shades right?" She waited for him to nod slowly, "Well you'll end up someplace a whole lot worse if you keep pissing off the wrong people."

Suddenly Stryker appeared in the alley flanked by at least ten of his Illuminati. Satara had also arrived and she was lounging on a trashcan and watching the show. "Now tell me little girl, who are the wrong people?" Stryker purred.


	70. Chapter 70

"Oh I think you know that Stryker, don't you?" Alicia said this with a growl in Atlantean. The result of her words was a look of shock that passed across the man's face so quickly that no one but she could see it.

He regained his composure quickly though and laughed, "And I suppose that you're here to put me in my place are you?"

Alicia strode towards him putting a slink in her step that made her look like a large cat stalking it's prey. "If it comes down to that, yes I am. Trust me it'll be easier for all of us if you just go home and find a new game to play."

Stryker made a show of sniffing the air as she circled him, "You reek of humanity. What could you possibly do to stop me?" He chuckled over his shoulder and his minions laughed at his joke. "Tell me, will you pull out your can of Mace and spray me?"

Alicia laughed at him, "Oh you're fun to play with. No wonder Mummy keeps you around."

Stryker's face suddenly went blank. "What are you talking about little mortal?"

Alicia glanced over his shoulder at the Illuminati as they hunched their shoulders and prepared for whatever was coming next. "First of all, I'm not exactly mortal. Second of all you know damn well what I'm talking about. Apollymi keeps you around because you're fun to play with. Not that you can ever get anything right, but she is a bit limited in her options these days isn't she?" She could see his face go pale even in the darkness of the alley. "Tell me Stryker, has Mummy been feeling a bit under the weather recently? Not quite up to snuff?"

"Stryker…" Satara's voice was cautioning him not to say anything. Apollymi had been rather tired recently and no one could figure out why.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Who are you?"

Alicia laughed lightly, "My name is Phaedryn but I doubt that means anything to you."

Nick looked confused at this name she gave but he said nothing. Stryker glanced over at Satara who shrugged to say she didn't know anything. "You're right, it means nothing to me. What I chose to do is none of your business so you'd better leave before I'm forced to hurt you."

"Ha! I'd like to see you try. You haven't got a chance pal." Now she was taunting him. The fact that she admitted that she wasn't mortal should stop him from attempting to hurt her but she wanted to see how far he'd push her. "I'll tell you what Mr. Badass, why don't you stop and think if you really want to keep this up so that you force Savitar to step in? Go on, I'll wait." She made a shooing motion with her hands at him.

Stryker's lip curled up and she could almost hear the growl. "And just why would Savitar be concerned with this and why should I be frightened of him?"

She began circling him again, looking him up and down as if she were sizing him up, "Savitar is your worst nightmare. And he's concerned with this because you're messing with the people he calls friends."

Now he was being defiant, "I answer to no one."

Alicia stopped and shook her head at him, "Oh you answer to Apollymi now don't you?" He said nothing so she went on, "Yeah well I've got news for you. Your boss is out of business."

"What?"

"Mmm-hmm. You heard me. Seriously, go talk to her. Ask her two things. Ask her how she's feeling. Then ask her how she feels about Savitar's anger. I bet you both questions are going to make her shiver in terror. Go on now, we'll just wait here until you get back okay?" She glanced at the Illuminati and Satara who were all now frozen in place and then she flicked her fingers at Stryker who flashed himself off to Kalosis. When he was gone she turned to Nick who was the only person not frozen beside herself. "So, what've you been up to Nick?"


	71. Chapter 71

"What are you?" Nick stammered as he looked around in disbelief at the frozen Illuminati warriors.

"A friend." She didn't want to give the game away just yet. "Nick, I'm serious here. You've gotten yourself into a mess that you're going to either walk away from or you're going to suffer for it like you have no idea about."

"I don't get it. Aren't you just a friend of Savitar's?"

She shook her head and smiled at him, "No. I'm a little more than that. But I'm on your side of this Nick. And believe me, Savitar doesn't want to see you get hurt either. You're a good person and I don't want to see this end up badly. Will you please trust me and walk away from Stryker and Satara and all of their stupid plans?"

His answer was interrupted by Stryker's return. The look of anger on the other man's face was bordering on rage and Alicia wondered what Apollymi had said to him to make him act like that. "What have you done to her?"

"Apollymi? Oh I haven't done anything to her. I have, or so they tell me, produced the antithesis to her power." Stryker cocked his head to one side in curiosity. "Oh she didn't tell you that part did she? Well I'll sum it up for you. She's out of power. Poof, no more Destroyer."

"That's impossible."

She folded her arms under her breasts, "Is it? Did you ask her if she had any power left? No? Well I'll tell you then, she has been negated. And don't go looking to get those missing powers for yourself, the person who has them isn't about to give them up. So…now what are you going to do? Your hostile takeover plan just flew away huh?"

Stryker managed to look stunned as if he could actually hear the pieces of his plans crumbling around him. "Who are you? Why did Savitar send you to do his dirty work?"

"Because I'm the nice one."

He laughed at her and she shrugged it off as she looked over at Nick to see how he was handling this revelation. "So he sends some lackey to do his work for him. Is he afraid of getting his hands dirty?"

Now Alicia was getting pissed off and she narrowed her eyes at Stryker. "Actually, I am the person you want to be seeing here. As I said, I'm the nice one. I'll let you live. Savitar on the other hand would have just made you disappear. Or, perhaps he would have sent you somewhere where you would suffer eternally. I guess it would depend on how much you pissed him off. Oh and you're beginning to piss me off so you may want to reign in that attitude of yours."

Stryker rose up over her and attempted to push her backwards with his height. "I am not afraid of you, you are a worthless pawn in a game you can't begin to understand."

Green sparks began to crackle around her as her anger grew. Her hair flew out as if it were being whipped about by a strong wind and her eyes glowed a molten red color, "How dare you?" She glared at him and tried not to smile as he backed up slowly. "You have pushed me about as far as you can before I squash you like a bug."

Stryker actually had the nerve to laugh, "And what will you do about it? Go running back to Savitar? Little girl you haven't even got a clue who he is."

Alicia finally had enough of his snark and let her anger bleed through her carefully held control. She could feel herself changing into her Atlantean form, which was very demonic in its nature. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Nick's eyes get wider than she thought possible. She took a step closer to Stryker and growled at him. "I am one of two people in the entire universe that knows _exactly_ who and what Savitar is because I am the same thing. If you would like to see a demonstration I would be happy to oblige you." She snarled at him and raked her eyes over his shoulder.

Stryker turned around to see all of the Illuminati behind him crumble into dust. He spun around with a look that mixed disbelief with terror and shot a glance at Satara. She was still frozen in the place that she was before and there was nothing that she could do to help him.

"Satisfied?" She walked over to where Satara was perched and waved a hand in front of her face as if it would elicit a reaction. "Huh, that's kind of neat." Suddenly she was back to the visage of a normal human woman as if nothing had happened.

"How did you...?" Nick stammered from the far side of the alley. He'd backed away from her as soon as the sparks had literally started to fly.

"I don't really know come to think of it. I'm still working this out myself. So you still planning on screwing around with them or have you seen the light?"

Nick looked nervous like he was still toying with the idea of staying on Stryker's side. Savitar after all had never shown him any real power so Nick had no clue as to what Sav's purpose was. He considered the surfer to still be a friend but that was about the extent of their relationship. He did know however, that Savitar had probably sent Alicia here because he would respond better to her than to either Savitar himself or say, Acheron. Suddenly feeling that he was being played by Acheron once again he straightened his shoulders and looked dead at the woman in front of him. "I think I'll stand my ground for a while of you don't mind. They've talked a lot of sense into me."

Alicia shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Oh Nick, I had hoped this was going to be easy on both of us but I guess it's going to have be the hard way. You're sure I can't convince you to change your mind?"

"There is no reason for him to change his mind, he's seen the truth of the matter." This came from Stryker who had apparently gotten over his shock of the Illuminati no longer being there. "You are obviously one in the 'Acheron is perfect' camp then, are you not?"

She slid her gaze from Nick to Stryker, "Well now actually I'm not. I know him and no, he's not perfect. But then, who really is?"

"And do you even know the truth of his existence? Perhaps you know the truth behind why he hides what he really is from everyone?" He studied her face for any reaction and when she gave none he went on, "Then you do not know his ties to the Daimons? You do not know about how he must feed do you?"

Alicia rolled her eyes in Nick's direction, "Oh no, tell me. I totally have to hear this one." She folded her arms under her breasts again, this time noting that they felt quite full and she realized that she'd need to wrap this up quickly and get back to Akrinea.

"Very well, Acheron is more closely tied to the Daimons than anyone knows. Have you ever seen him eat?" He waited for her to shake her head no. "And do you ever wonder how he came to be the leader of the forces that are determined to wipe the Daimons from the face of the Earth?"

Alicia knew where this was going and she wanted to see how deep of a hole Stryker would dig for himself so she let him go on. She also made her face look as if he was making sense. All the better to catch him off guard. "Go on, I'm listening."

"Simply put he wants the rest of his race wiped off the planet so that he can gain the power the race holds as a whole for himself."

Alicia looked stunned. She wasn't sure if this was a lie that Stryker was telling or if it was something he'd _been_ told. Of course none of it was true but he didn't seem to know that. "Well, that explains a whole lot. Nick, is that what you found out too?" Nick nodded carefully as if agreeing with Stryker would get him in even more trouble.

"Do you understand? He's seen the truth of it all. Perhaps he can see it more clearly because of his past relationship with Acheron. Now, ask yourself how well you know Acheron." Stryker sneered and began pacing around Alicia as she pretended to mull this over. He was trying to put her off balance and it simply wouldn't work.

Stepping out from the tightening circle Stryker was walking around her she spun to face him allowing her eyes to bleed back to the molten red color they had been before. "Oh I think you'll find that I know Acheron a whole lot better than you think. For one, I've known him for over eleven thousand years. For two, he is my husband and I think that qualifies me to know him pretty damned well don't you?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see Nick's jaw drop and all of the blood drain out of his face. Stryker went through a similar reaction but before he could say anything she clapped her hands together and both he and Satara vanished from the alley. "Stupid fucks," she hissed as she turned to face Nick. "Okay, time to call it a night, I've got a baby to feed."

"Wha…you...huh?" Nick stammered incoherently.

Alicia grabbed Nick by the arm and turned him to face her, "Close your mouth Nick, you're going to have bugs fly in it. You ready to go?"

"Where?"

"How about home?" He still looked like she was speaking a foreign language to him. "New Orleans? Ring any bells with you?"

"I can't go back there, the police…"

She shook her head and smiled at him, "Aren't concerned with you any more. In fact nothing ever happened." She waved her hand over his face and the double bow tattoo that marked him as a dark hunter disappeared. "Okay, that's one step. Now, ready?"

He nodded dumbly at her and she snapped her fingers and they flashed to the street outside the house he'd bought for his mother in New Orleans. He turned slowly and took in the house that he hadn't seen since his mother's death and shook his head, "No, I can't go back in there."

"Oh I think you can Nick. In fact you will," she snapped her fingers again and the small box that Ash had been carrying Nick's soul in appeared in her hand. She carefully opened the box and lifted the glowing disc that his soul rested in and held it up to his chest. Then she pushed his soul back into his body and restored the life he'd been cheated out of.

Nick's eyes opened slowly and he stared in wonder at the woman in front of him. "I'm so sorry!" she said as she bent down to pick up the groceries that had spilled out of the torn bag that Nick held. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Oh I hope nothing got broken."

"What?" he looked down at her as she reached for a can that was rolling down the sidewalk and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "I'm sorry do I know you?"

"Huh?" the woman screwed up her face in curiosity. "No, I just ran into you just now. Are you okay?"

"I…yeah I guess so. You ran into me?"

"Yeah, I'm so sorry. I was just looking at the beautiful houses and I guess I didn't see you there."

She smiled up at him and he couldn't help but notice that she was a very pretty woman. Not the type that he usually found attractive but there was something about her that reminded him of sunny beaches, cool breezes, and for some strange reason, pickles, "Oh don't worry about it. I'm only mildly wounded."

She laughed at his joke and stood up handing him a pile of groceries that she'd collected from the ground for him, "Well as long as you'll live, I guess my work here is done." She didn't give him a chance to say anything else as she strode down the street whistling softly to herself as she smiled. He was going to go into the house and find his mother sitting in her favorite chair while she waited for her son to come home. Once he'd entered the front door she stopped and turned back to the house waiting for him to call out 'mom, I'm home', before she flashed herself back home to her husband and child.

Fin


	72. Author's Note

A brief word from our sponsors (aka the author)...

I figured that by now you'd probably be wondering what the heck these names mean and or how they sound when I'm thinking them.. I know you already know the major ones but allow me to help out with the OC names and whatnot.

Phaedryn - is pronounced "Fay-drin" I don't think it means anything but I'm not that great with Atlantean so who knows?

Phae - is pronounced "Fay"

Satiros- is pronounced "Sat-ir-ohs" - I made it all up but apparently this is the masculine version of "one with my heart"

Satira - is pronounced "Sat-ir-ra"- Still made up but this is the feminine version

Sati - is pronounced "Sat-ee" - Also made up but means "my heart"

Xiovar - is pronounced "Zho-var" (although Tabitha shortens it to Joe)

Akorethomis - is pronounced "Ah-core-ee-tho-miss" and actually means something (sort of) it is a mish mash of the Greek words for Farmer and Daughter which describes her pretty much to a T.

Tktari - is pronounced "Tick-tar-ee" - Once more made up

Akrinea - is pronounced "Ah-krih-nee-ah" - Yup, made up as well.

Thank you to anyone and everyone that read this. Big hugs to NOTL and hopefully you won't have to wait too long for more of my take on the Dark Hunters and their world.


	73. Psssst!

Pssssssssst!!!!!!!

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while but I thought I'd pop in a little note to all you folks that have graciously read and enjoyed Monsters & Gods and let you know that I have (finally) finished part 2! Yup, more adventures with Ash & Phaedryn as well as the rest of the gang and a few new faces. So, while you're killing time until Ash's real book comes out in August…why don't you come kill some time with my take on the life of our favorite Atlantean?

Link is in my profile or you can search the title (Monsters & Gods II … I know, I couldn't come up with anything snappy, deal with it).

Thanks for reading!!


End file.
